Running Away
by Rainbows n' Pixie Dust
Summary: FINALLY COMPLETE! - Draco, on his way to escape his horrendous life, discovers a suicidal Hermione Granger in the Forbidden Forest. Who will be the last one to keep their secrets?
1. Out of the comfort zone

I was counting minutes, seconds, until it would be midnight and I could leave this damned place for life. I wouldn't have to return home every holiday to my father's tormenting, and I wouldn't have to face the everyday torture of facing my peers. Of facing my task... I shuddered at the thought of it. The task, that luckily no one had really put on my shoulders, but still my father called it to be "Draco's job to do". Now I was going to vanish from everyone's lives, forever.

I had a perfect plan; I would stay in the Forbidden Forest for a few weeks, so my vanishing wouldn't be so new and there would be less people searching for me when I would continue. After that, I would make my way up, higher, over the mountains, until I found a small village where I could ask for food and such. I would become a lone traveler, living off of the nature and such. I had let people walk over me way too long. No more dances with air-headed pureblood girls, no more tormenting because a damned mudblood surpassed me grade-wise. No more orders. Freedom.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 times the grandfathers clock rang. I got up hastily from my seat and grabbed my large backpack. I'd put a spell on it so it wasn't so heavy, but it was still large. I was wearing jeans, sneakers, a t-shirt under my hoodie. I pulled the hood up, just in case, and then I was off. I walked to the small, secret passageway that led near the gamekeeper's hut. I had used it many times to sneak out after curfew, to meet up with messengers and that sort. Not many knew of the passageway, as it was in the Slytherin common room and most people never lingered around that place.

The wet walls of the rocky corridor were dripping water on me, and occasionally I felt an icy droplet fall down my shirt, which caused me to shiver. It was quite dark in the corridor, my wand being the only source of light. Finally, after crouching for about ten minutes, I saw the light at the end of the corridor and hurried towards it. Once outside, I stretched my back before hurrying into the forest before someone noticed me.

I had walked for about fifteen minutes when I came across a glade, in the middle of it a small pond. As I walked to the edge of the glade, I saw something that made my blood run cold. There was someone, standing in the pond, walking slowly towards the center. As I squinted my eyes, I saw that there were cuts on both of her wrists; the knife, bloodied, was on the shore.

Making a rash decision, I threw my backpack to the ground and ran to the pond, pulling the girl out of it and dragging her along.

"You don't really want to die, do you?" I said quickly. That was when I realized who it was. It was Hermione bloody Granger.

"As a matter of a fact, I do." She said defiantly, though she appeared weak.

"Why?"

"Hm..let's see. My so-called best friends have only been using me for better grades, my parents died three months ago in a car accident and nobody cares how I feel." she muttered. I was shocked the hear that from her mouth.

"Well, I guess we are in the same boat then."

"You wanna die too?"

"I want to escape. I'm too much of a coward to even think of killing myself." I murmured while I took out the healing potion and bandages.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm healing you, so I can take you back." I said as I took one of her wrists and poured some potion on it.

"Don't make me go back." She whimpered and pulled her wrist away from me. "Please, Malfoy. Just leave me be." She asked quietly. I saw a few tears on her cheeks.

"Don't call me Malfoy. I can't stand that bloody name." I muttered as I snatched her wrists in my hands. She whimpered slightly. "And I'm not going to let you die because Harry Bloody Potter and Weasel forced you to. It's against my pride." I said. "You can come with me to the first village, from then you are free to go wherever you want." I added, not believing I was saying this.

"Thank you, Ma- Draco." She said. I smirked at her and began healing her wrists, slowly and efficiently. Once I'd wrapped both her wrists in bandages, I helped her up.

"Can you walk?"

"I think so." She said determinedly.

The next twenty minutes passed in silence, as we walked through the moonlit forest. I was stealing glances at her from time to time, and was sad to find that the usual aura of "Granger" she attained wasn't there anymore. Bloody Potter and Weasley. They took her most admirable fait from her. She was adorable too. Wait! Where did that come from? I shook my head, as though to rid of those thoughts. "She is a mudblood, she can't be adorable. I can't think of her that way!" I thought to myself.

Finally we found a nice-looking glade, that was about forty minutes of walking away from the edge of the forest. As I began to set up the tent, Granger pulled in to herself and sat on a stump, staring into the distance. It seemed that she wasn't telling me the whole truth. There was an air of sadness around her, something I hadn't seen before.

"Could you help me a bit? I've never set up a tent before." I groaned as the tent collapsed for the fifth time. She looked at me for a second, before walking over and taking the tent sticks and such from me. I glared at her for a second before walking to the edge of the glade to watch her. She finished the job in under ten minutes, which made me feel quite embarrassed. Of course I didn't show it, but still. I watched as she slipped inside the tent.

"A muggle tent?" I heard her call out. I cursed. That damned dude had cheated. I had specifically asked for a magical tent, and this is what I get?

Groaning, I walked over to find that the tent was indeed a muggle invention. "How're we supposed to sleep now?" I asked to myself.

"There are a few sleeping bags in here." She replied. "How much did you pay for this?"

"Six galleons and seven sickles. I was buying a magical tent, and this is what I get?" I grumbled.

"There's plenty of room for the two of us." Granger said. I glared at her. "You're sleeping outside." I said.

"Not in the rain I am not!" She retorted. Indeed, as I looked outside, it was raining quite damn hard. I quickly pulled my backpack into the tent.

"Fine, but if you even try to cross this barrier-" I drew an imaginary line in between the two poles that were keeping the tent up, "-I will make you sleep outside."

"Wouldn't want it otherwise." She smiled sarcastically and took the sleeping bag and rolled it open. I mimicked her actions, and was surprised to find that the sleeping bag was actually not that uncomfortable.

"Would you look at that." I muttered as I put the lights out from my wand. The only sound was the silent sound of rain on the tent, and Granger's unsteady breathing. "Well...night." I heard her say. I grunted and turned to my side, and quickly fell asleep.

. . .

I woke up to Hermione's muttering.

"Ron, stop, please..." I listened intently. She was tossing around slightly; there was a distraught expression on her face. "Don't..." I decided to wake her, as she clearly wasn't having a good dream. So, I gripped her shoulders gently and shook her.

"Granger!" I said sternly. She woke up with a gasp, and I saw her eyes look around frantically. She slowly sat up, and before I could say anything, she shot out of the tent, tears in her eyes. "Granger!" I called after her, confused by her actions. I decided to wait for a while, maybe she'd come back. But when she didn't come back for five minutes, I figured something was wrong, and though I hated myself for it, I went after her.

I found her at the edge of the glade, leaning against a tree. Her back was turned towards me; I saw her shudder, I heard her sobs. She was crying. Carefully, I reached out and touched her shoulder. She turned around to look at me, tears falling freely from her eyes.

"You should come inside. You'll catch a cold." I saw her looking at me incredulously, so I added quickly, "I don't want you to catch a cold, because I would have to deal with you." She nodded and followed me to the tent. Once inside, I noticed her shivering. I rummaged my backpack for a dry t-shirt, which I handed to her.

"Here. I promise, I won't look." I said to her.

"You better not." I heard her mumble as I turned around. "I'm done." I turned around as I heard that to find her already settling to sleep, not looking my way. But even after the lights were out, I could hear her sobbing quietly. Wondering what had happened to her, I fell asleep.

It was at least midday when we finally woke up. Well, I did. Granger had already woken up ages ago, and was fixing breakfast on a fire when I came out of the tent. She was still wearing my t-shirt; her own shirt was still soaking wet.

"Good morning." She said quietly as I crouched beside her facing the fire. She handed me a bowl of some kind of omelette with sausages.

"Thank you." I said quietly, as I reached over and got myself a fork from my backpack. She had seemingly eaten already, and was now picking on the bandages around her wrists. Finally, she managed to get them both off. There were only mere scars, white lines, on her wrists, that's it. After I finished my breakfast, we gathered up our things and began marching again.

"What's our plan?" Granger asked after we'd been walking for a while.

"We head away from Hogwarts, but stay in the Forest. That way, if someone is looking for us, they won't find us." I said. "But we need to move fast. Right now, we only have mere half a day ahead."

"I'll follow you until we come across the first village. Then I'll stop pestering you." She said, picking up speed. We'd distributed the packs so she was carrying the tent and a few other things, while I had my backpack.

"Good." I grunted as I went after her. It was quite a hot day, the sun was beaming down and soon we were both sweating and panting.

"How about we have a break. You seem like you'll collapse any second now." I called back after walking for hours, where Granger was indeed lagging behind.

"Are you sure you're not just wanting a rest yourself?" She asked with a smirk.

"Impossible. I could walk the whole day without a rest." I said. She just shrugged and sat down onto a log, pulling out a goblet and muttering the water conjuring spell. Soon she was drinking long gulps of crystal clear water, while I searched for my water flask. Finally, when I found it, I saw that she was watching me carefully. The second she noticed me looking at her, she looked away.

"What was it last night?" I asked her. She shrugged and looked at her feet. "Your turn to tell something. We're on the same boat, you know my story. Go."

"I don't know the whole story."

"Just tell me." She said. I nodded slowly, and looked away as I started speaking.

"I just can't stand having to live up to the Malfoy name every single minute, every single second, of my life. In school people think of me as a stuck-up, self-centered bastard. At home, my father just thinks of me like a burden." I paused before I said something about my task. If she didn't tell me everything, then why should I?

"And running away is the solution to that?"

"It's better than attempting suicide."

She was quiet for quite a while. "I had my own reasons for that conclusion." She muttered.

"So did I." I replied, standing up and starting off.

"Draco!" I heard Granger yell.

"What?"

"You're going the wrong way. Hogwarts is that way."

I grumbled something, but turned on my heel and stalked to the direction Granger had disappeared as well.

"Bloody know-it-all." I muttered under my breath. I saw her fists clench, but she didn't attack me or anything. I was disappointed; I'd expected her to retort or something. That silence was probably the longest; it lasted about three hours, until I had to ask where she wanted to stop for the night.

"Oy, Granger! We should stop now, so we can set up the tent and make food before it gets too dark and all the hairy monsters come out for your muddy blood." I said bitterly. She whipped around quickly and glared at me.

"Just for your information, I couldn't care less whether the monsters came and took me away." She snapped, tears in her eyes. I stared at her, she stared at me. When she finally turned around to leave, I muttered: "I would care." Immediately I regretted saying it. I saw her freeze in her steps for a few seconds, and punched myself mentally for letting those three words slip past my lips.


	2. Trust is a fragile thing

**Finished the second chapter :)**

**Here you go lovelies, hope you like it**

**Hermione's POV - Chapter 2**

Why would he say something like that? I hated him, he hated me. We had a mutual hate-hate relationship, and it worked just fine. I must've heard wrong. Taking a deep breath, I turned around to face him.

"What did you just say?" I asked, trying not to fret.

"I just groaned. Is it illegal these days?" He said irritatedly. I scowled at him and turned away from him. There was a good spot for the tent a few meters away, only ten meters away from a small creek, that had clear water. I dropped the tent from my back with a loud thud and walked over to the creek, trying my best not to show my frustration.

"That prick." I muttered under my breath as I stared at the water, my hands crossed across my chest. Someday, I would love to see what went through his mind. I kicked the water once before turning around and walking over to set up the tent.

Once I'd set up the tent, I heard Malfoy walk up to me. I was only calling him Draco because last night, when he'd told me to, he had looked like a madman. I would rather keep that madman hidden, so I budged and began calling him...Draco. Ugh. It felt so unnatural.

"Hey, Granger. Dinner's ready." I heard him say.

"If I'm calling you Draco, would you mind calling me Hermione then?" I asked as I walked to the fire and took my plate of cheese and macaroni from the can.

"Fine." He replied short. I chuckled slightly and sat down on a rock.

"That was my seat." He said. I smirked at him.

"Well, sit somewhere else." I said simply.

"There is no other place." He said.

"Then sit on the ground." I replied, ignoring him and continuing with my dinner. He grumbled something, but sat on the ground nevertheless. The dinner wasn't marvelous, but it was food, so I didn't complain. We spent the dinner in comfortable silence, Malfoy staring into the darkening forest, and I stealing glances at him every now and then. I was sure there was something he wasn't telling me, I could tell. Don't ask me how, I just could. I sighed and took my wand, intending to clean my plate with magic.

"Would you clean mine too?" I heard Malfoy ask. I looked at him.

"Say the magic word."

"Tergeo." He said quickly.

"Not the incantation. Say please."

"Please?"

I gave him a quick smile and took his plate, cleaning both plates with the same spell. After setting them by the fire, I went over to the creek to wash my hands and get a moment to myself.

_Wonder if Harry and Ron have noticed I'm gone? Or if they care._

_Of course they don't care. Ron at least won't. _

_Harry might._

_Face it. They aren't your friends._

_I already did._ I smirked to my reflection. I was talking to myself. Or thinking. Whatever that was.

_Oh, I fill all the criterion of crazy. _I sighed.

_Ron might miss me. He needs someone to...use._ I shuddered at the word choice I'd made. So...spot-on. Whatever I did, I managed to remind myself of that night.

_Just shut the fuck up. You're upsetting yourself. Gather yourself up, you're a mess. _I scolded myself. I couldn't let myself turn into a mess. Well, as much more of a mess as this could be. I had attempted suicide, been rescued by Malfoy, and was now camping with him. Yeah, much a mess.

I sat down on the shore, hugging my knees to my chest. A sudden gust came from nowhere, chilling my skin and ruffling my hair. I wouldn't bother to go to the tent, to warm. I didn't mind the cold. The stinging cold on my skin, the tiny pain, was just evidence for me that I was still alive. And I needed that evidence badly.

- _Why don't you just go and kill yourself? You would save a lot of trouble from yourself and a whole lot of people._

_I'm stronger than that._

_Wrong. You act like you're stronger than that, when in reality, you're no stronger than a mouse._

"Shut up!" I yelled, burying my head in my hands. My yell echoed above the water, and I bothered not to look up from my hands. I heard the rocks crunch under Malfoy's steps.

"Who're you talking to?" I heard him ask.

"Just leave me alone." I snapped. His steps moved more distant till I couldn't hear them at all. Hot tears fell from my eyes onto my numb hands; it was quite cold outside, considering it was beginning of November. I let the floodgates down and wailed quietly.

I sat there, crying, for a while, oblivious to the outside world. I was crying my heart out, all the emotions I'd bottled up for three months. Suddenly, I felt something warm be draped over me. I didn't need to look to be able to tell it was a blanket. Malfoy said nothing, but I heard him walk a few meters and stop there. I lifted my head to find him sitting on the shore, watching the small waves in the creek. I moved a bit to stretch my aching muscles, and pulled the blanket around me.

"What's wrong?" He asked right then. Draco Malfoy bothered to take four seconds of his time to bother his marvelous brain with my issues. Great.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie."

"What if I don't want to tell you?"

"Well who would you want to tell it to? Your so-called best friends?" I didn't really understand why he was taking so much interest in this. I shrugged and laid back onto the rocks.

"Well, you see-" I stopped myself. _I won't tell this to him. I won't._ Quickly, before I would say something I'd regret, I rushed into the tent.

It was probably ten minutes before he came into the tent. I was curled up in my sleeping bag, my eyes closed. He probably thought I was already sleeping. As if I cared. The lights went out a minute later. I laid there for probably hours, just listening to the forest's sounds, and I felt more alone than ever.

* * *

When I woke up in the morning, I got out of the tent to find Malfoy, sitting on the rock with a small flask.

"Morning." I said quietly. He looked up at me, his eyes a storm. So many emotions at the same time. Hate, pity, fear.

"Morning." I noticed there was a slur to his voice; he was drunk.

We sat in silence for a while, until he sighed and moved a bit. "You want a drink? I don't think we should make a fire yet, it'll just attract animals."

"What is it?"

"Firewhiskey."

I shrugged and took the flask from him. What did I have to lose? The fiery drink burnt my insides, but after a while the burning sensation turned into a warm tingle. Immediately I felt the alcohol kick in. I was quite sensitive to alcohol; I'd get drunk from literally a few sips. I took another sip and handed the flask back to Malfoy. I felt tears stinging at my eyes again. I let a few of them slip onto my cheek before brushing them away.

"What's-"

"Wrong?" I interrupted. "What's wrong... So much is wrong."

Malfoy remained silent, so I continued. Maybe this time I'd have the courage to finish what I had to say.

"I haven't told anyone. And I know you'll despise me for this. Everyone would."

He looked at me skeptically. "Surprise me then." He said.

I took a shaky breath. "Ron raped me a week ago. And Harry knew about it, but he just said I "deserved" it. Do you realize, how painful that is? Not to include the bruises I got..." I muttered. I heard Malfoy gasp.

"That bastard." He muttered under his breath. "But...you weren't a...virgin beforehand, were you? Because that would just be horrid, to lose it to him-"

"I know! I know all that! I've gone it over a thousand times in my head!" I snapped.

"So that's what today's thing was about."

"What?" I asked.

"You just suddenly yelled "shut up" and then began crying." He said.

"Now you know why I came to the conclusion of a suicide."

"No I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"I know the cause, not the thought process."

"Imagine that something like what happened to me- happens to you. It's quite embarrassing. And then, when your friends defy you and just say that you're looking for attention now that Ron is the star keeper and his girlfriend is Lavender. I was forced to bear through all that, alone." I declined Malfoy's offer for the bottle. "And I trusted him." I spat, letting the tears flow. I couldn't explain my behavior. Partly because of the alcohol, partly because I had been dying just to get those words out of my mouth.

"I would go and beat up Weasel right now. Even I have my pride, and when it comes to women...I would never harm a woman. Ever." He said quietly. I stared at him. I couldn't believe it. I was actually having a civil conversation with him.

"So, what's your problem then?"

"What do you mean?"

"You aren't telling me everything either."

Suddenly Malfoy stood up and walked over to me, grabbing my hand. "I have been ordered to kill Dumbledore." He said angrily. I was scared of his sudden mood change.

"Why?" I managed to whimper.

"Part of _his_ plan." He spat.

"Do you want to?" I was staring at his eyes, which were much like the storm clouds that were gathering above us.

"What do you think? Of course I don't!" He cried.

"Well then don't do it."

"He'll hunt me down. It's better to let everyone think I'm dead."

I gaped at him. "So you're saying that we have a chance of getting attacked by death eaters? Great." I muttered.

"I'm sorry." He then said. There was no sign of anger in his eyes anymore. Only sorrow. A single, crystal clear tear fell onto his cheek. I stared at him, dumbfounded. Draco Malfoy, crying. _Well this is a rare event._ I smirked to myself. Suddenly he let go of my hand and ran into the forest. I sat there, looking towards where he'd went, until I decided he'd come back at some point. So, I began making breakfast, since my stomach was grumbling.

I had almost finished eating when he finally came back, pale as ever.

"Here, eat something. You look like a ghost." I said simply, not bothering to try and sound nice. He nodded and accepted the plate I was offering him. I watched him eat, and neither of us said anything.

_Wonder if he was actually going to do it._

_Of course he was, he is Malfoy! The most evil kid in the school!_

_But he didn't really look happy about it._

_Are you trying to reason that he's okay? _

_Shut up. _I scowled at myself.

"What are you staring at, Mudblood?"

I glared at him with my most blood-freezing stare. "What is it with you that you just can't be nice or even withstandable for over two hours at the most?" I snapped at him.

He opened his mouth, then closed it. He scowled at me, but didn't utter a word.

"I dare you to even try to be nice, for even five minutes."

"Wasn't I nice enough when I brought you my blanket last night?" He retorted. I looked at him curiously.

"Yes, but you don't have to insult me all the time. I could retort by calling you a Pureblood, you know." He gaped at me.

"Maybe I'll...decrease the amount of insulting. If I can." He said slyly.

* * *

There is so much tension between those two... what do you think, should I break the tension a bit?


	3. The hairy monster came for you

**Here you go you lovely people :P**

**Don't forget to review me and give me ideas, I already got a great one from one of you :)**

* * *

Draco's POV

I didn't stay to see her reaction to what I said. Instead I walked to the tent, and halfway to the tent I felt something soft hit the back of my head. As a reflex, I lifted my hand to the back of my head. All I caught was a few leaves.

"You threw leaves at me?"

"No." She said innocently, though there was a victorious expression in her eyes.

"Don't you lie."

"I didn't throw them. I levitated them precisely to the back of your perfectly blonde head." She said. I glared at her.

"You dare do that once, and you sleep the night outside the tent, no matter whether it rains or not." I said. She just smiled at me and stood up.

"You are way too...boring. Yes, boring."

"You want me to be fun then?" I asked sneakily. I knew she would stop herself; she had to.

"Oh, yes. Fun." She sighed, poking me in the chest. Suddenly she stopped herself. "Sorry, I must've been drunk..." She muttered and ran away from me. How can she be so moody? One second she is throwing leaves at me for fun, the next she is running off with a sad expression on her face. And she said she was drunk.

"She must be very petite and fragile to get drunk from about one fourth a cup of firewhiskey." I muttered, kicking a few rocks into the creek. I took my flask and emptied it with one gulp, then threw the flask somewhere behind me. We had agreed to stay here a few days, since it was nice, shady, and well hidden. Not to count that the creek was a ideal place to have a bath, which I hadn't had in...three days or so.

"_Draco, your job is to make sure that the vanishing cabinet in the room of requirement is working, so on the night all the death eaters have to do is to step into the cabinet." Father said._

"_Yes, Father." I said monotonically. I would much rather just stay out of this. But who was I to say no to the Dark Lord and my Father?_

"_I want him to finish off that old man." The figure in the couch by the fire said. I grimaced inwardly. I really, really, didn't want to do this._

"_Of course he'll do it, Master."_

"_I'm not that sure if I can. I'm not strong enough-"_

"_I've seen things you do, young Draco. You are strong enough. The question is...are you scared? Scared that an old man will beat you?"_

"_No-"_

"_Of course he'll do it." Father repeated, with more anger in his voice this time._

"_Yes, I will do it. I was just...surprised, that's all. I mean, I am not the best of your followers, but I'll try my best." I said just as my three manner teachers would've told me to say. That was the problem. I always did and said things other people wanted or expected me to say. Never something I really meant, except maybe for "may I have the scrambled eggs please?". Not even that. I remained polite, like a good Malfoy heir was supposed to._

"_My lord, if you mind, I have to have a word with Draco here...to make sure he does a good job." Father said. I shuddered. I knew exactly what 'word' meant, and immediately began bracing myself for the pain. The figure nodded, and my father grabbed my arm roughly. I followed him into another room, his study._

"_How dare you embarrass me in front of the Dark Lord!" He yelled immediately when the door was closed. "Crucio." He said calmly. Pain erupted in every single cell in my body, and I fell to the ground. I bit my lip until it bled, for I didn't want to scream out loud. I didn't want to show any kind of sign of pain._

"_You better do this job. You better kill Dumbledore." He said. I nodded, my eyes at the ground, which was swaying from side to side. Silently cursing my father, I bore through the mere five minutes of torture. The last words he said to me were: "And don't come back to me if you fail." Then the door slammed shut._

I laid back and stared at the tree branches swaying in the wind. My life had been quite horrendous, to be honest. I laughed aloud.

"What are you laughing at?"

"My horrendous life." I said. That was when I realized it was Granger I was talking to. Quickly, I sat up. "I mean, nothing. Yeah, nothing." I stuttered.

She let out a nervous laugh. "Your life is horrendous? Please. Didn't daddy give you enough money for Christmas?" She said. I glared at her icily.

"Don't you ever, **ever**, mention my father. Bloody know-it-all." I muttered. She glared back at me.

"Prick."

"I bet Weasley is the only guy who is even interested in you, a bushy-haired Mudblood." I sneered. Suddenly, pain erupted from my cheek. I opened my eyes to find her glaring at me, tears in her eyes.

"Just go back home and beg your daddy to take you back. I bet he will. You're just a self-centered prick with no respect for others." She said angrily. I glared at her before storming off into the woods. I felt tears stinging at my eyes, something that didn't happen very often. I ran until I came across a fallen log. So upset, I didn't notice the log was freshly fallen, and that there were claw marks on it's bark.

"Stupid know-it-all. Ruining my day and my life." I muttered. _But it was Father who did that for fifteen years for you. And she's much cuter. _That damned voice in my head started again.

_Shut up._

_Never._

_Fin-_ A deep growl interrupted me. I turned around frantically to find a huge, furry shadow mere meters away from me. I backed away as a reflex, and in response, the shadow stepped into the light. I was horrified by what I saw.

The creature had pitch black fur, which was sticky and messy. It was about the size of a small car; it reminded me of a crossing between a bear and a wolf. There were huge claws in it's front paws, and when I looked it in the face - I was ready to faint. It's teeth were bared, and something green was dripping from it's mouth. I glanced to the ground as I saw a drop fall to the ground. Venom. The eyes were blood red, glaring straight through me. I tried my pockets; my wand wasn't there. _Damn. I left it in the tent._

"Easy boy. Easy..." I tried to say. It barked, and the sound was so loud that I felt like my ears would ring for the next few years. If I lived that long. I screamed at the top of my lungs and I leaped over the fallen log. Quickly as I could, I turned to run.

I hadn't gotten three meters far when I felt it's claws on my back, and me falling to the ground. The pain was huge; my whole back felt as though it was on fire. I heard the sound of my shirt ripping as it dug it's claws deeper in. Then, suddenly, the weight was gone. I heard a loud thump behind me. What

"Levicorpus!" _Granger._ I sighed in relief. My breath came out shakily, and I remembered my injuries. I wondered how bad they were. From the corner of my eye, I saw a blur of black fur and brown hair. Suddenly I heard a scream, and I saw Granger fall a few meters from me, clutching at her shoulder. She forced herself up, however, and continued the fight. Finally, after ages of Granger screaming spells and loud thumps, the forest fell silent.

"Draco?" I heard Granger ask. I groaned and tried to get up.

"Don't move, wait I'll heal you. Accio." I heard her say. I fell limply to the forest floor, breathing in it's earthy smell. I heard a bottle click open, and then I felt the burning sensation renew in my back as Granger poured some potion on it. Clenching my fists, I bore through the pain till I was sure there was nothing left. No pain. And then I blacked out.

* * *

_I was in a unfamiliar room, which was completely white, with no distinguishable doors, windows, walls, floor or ceiling. I jumped up quickly, and suddenly everything began swaying. I stretched my arms to the side in an attempt to steady myself._

"_Bloody hell." I cursed my throbbing head. Where the hell was I? _

_I walked towards what I thought was a wall, but soon found I'd walked straight through it, into a forest. Soon after that I was standing at the shore of the creek, watching myself and Granger fight. I watched myself glare at Granger before storming off to the woods. As I watched Granger slump to the ground, crying, I felt a horrible sting of guilt inside. I wanted to walk forward, to confront her, anything. But instead I found that I was glued to the spot. I couldn't even turn my gaze away._

_She was rocking herself, hugging her knees tightly to her chest. "It's true. Nobody would want you. You are worth nothing to anyone." I heard her voice, yet I was sure she hadn't spoken._

"_Shut the fuck up." Another voice said._

"_Don't defy it. Why are you lengthening your suffer? Everyone's suffer?" I was beginning to hate that voice. _

_I waited for minutes, for the other voice to reply. To fight back. But instead, I saw Granger get up hastily and walk over to my backpack. Before I knew it, she had gotten a knife, and was walking back towards the shore. Her eyes were the scariest; they were almost black, but kept on changing. She crouched down to touch the water._

"_Go on, do it." The voice said again. I could hardly breathe. Suddenly, I heard a loud bark, shortly followed by my own scream, from the forest. Granger's head snapped towards the sound; she quickly dropped the knife and ran to the tent, picking up her wand and then hurrying into the forest. I remained there, staring towards the spot where she'd vanished into the darkness and listening for any sounds. Occasional screams, spells and thuds._

_Finally, after probably an hour, Granger came back, dragging an unconscious me. It felt weird, watching myself sleep. I looked handsome, if I did say it for myself. It was then when I saw the injury Granger had attained; a deep wound on her shoulder, the edges of it a nasty green color. The monster had bitten her, and there had been venom in it's mouth. I watched as she laid me carefully into the tent before pouring some potion onto her own wound and then wrapping it carefully up in some bandages she found from my pack. Then, she crawled into the tent, and I was sure I heard some sobbing for a while, before I felt myself being pulled back and I woke up._

* * *

**Sorry, I'm keeping you guys on your toes waiting for some romance to happen ;) But, the more you wait, the better it is**

**Review please, makes me feel popular ;) **


	4. Dangling on the edge

**Hello again my lovely readers! Love you guys :)**

**Hope you like this, I used the idea of one of you and modified it a bit in this chapter ;) Thank you**

* * *

**Hermione's POV**

The pain in my shoulder was unbearable, and yet I managed to drag an unconscious ferret about half a mile to our tent. The monster was dead; I had finished it off with an avada kedavra. I don't exactly know why, but I felt awfully guilty. I had used an Unforgivable. Shuddering, I laid Malfoy down into the tent and grabbed the small bottle containing some wound-healing potion. I bit my lip while I poured it on, as it was quite painful. After quickly wrapping it up in some bandages so that the skin would heal properly, I crawled into the tent, only using one hand, and collapsed onto my sleeping bag, not bothering to cuddle up in it. Tears welled up in my eyes immediately, and I cursed myself for letting myself so close to doing it, again. It had felt like the only choice. I knew it wouldn't have taken long.

_Curse this, I don't care if I die from this wound tonight._ I thought bitterly.

_-I know you really don't want to die._

_Why else would've I jumped onto that monster, right when it was about to hit Draco?_

_- Maybe you were shielding him._

_You aren't that brave. You aren't worth the title of a Gryffindor._ I scolded myself.

I hugged myself tight and let tears fall freely. I knew Malfoy was so deep in sleep it was impossible he would've woken now. Sobs were shaking my body, but even after I stopped crying, I found I was still shaking. I shrugged it off, blaming not cuddling up into my sleeping bag. So, I finally settled into my sleeping bag and after a while, fell asleep.

. . .

I woke up to Malfoy shaking me gently.

"Hermione. Wake up."

"What is it?" I slurred, still half-asleep. My head throbbed badly; I would've given anything just to sleep.

"You stopped breathing a second ago."

"What?" I asked, surprised.

"I was awake, and I was just listening to you, um, breathing, and I noticed you didn't breathe for a full minute before I woke you." He paused and touched my forehead. "You're burning up." He said.

I forced myself up, ignoring the agonizing pain in my shoulder, and walked out of the tent. "What are you doing?" I heard Malfoy ask.

"I'm getting some fresh air. I'm perfectly fine." I replied.

"No, you're not. I can see your shoulder is still hurting, and you definitely have fever. " He snapped. "Stop acting strong." He added. I froze, and a single tear slipped onto my cheek.

_Look, even he agrees that you're just acting strong._ The voice said immediately. I cursed it with the worst words I knew.

"I'll just get a few potions."

"I'll get them." Malfoy said immediately. "I mean...Just the quicker you are healthy, the quicker we can get going and I can get rid of you." He sneered. I scowled at him and returned to the tent, inwardly relieved to do so.

Soon I had emptied a goblet of some fever-lowering potion and another to heal the wound on my shoulder.

"Let me look at it." I heard Malfoy say. I was confused, he had been acting nice to me all morning.

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head or something?" I asked.

"Let me look at your shoulder." He insisted. I sighed and took off my hoodie, so I was only wearing a tank top. I shivered in the cold air, but remained still as he unwrapped my bandages. I winced as the bandages were ripped off the partly dried blood. Turning my head, I saw a terrifying wound on my shoulder, much different from what it had been last night.

My whole entire shoulder was a yellowish green color, excluding the wound itself, which was a deep crimson red. It was still open, not a mark of closing up on it. I whimpered as I felt Malfoy's cool fingertips run along the edges of my wounds.

"This is bad. This is really bad." He muttered.

"What do you know about healing?" I asked. I looked me in the eye proudly.

"I have been studying it for six years now. I should know something, don't you think?"

"Well?" I asked anxiously.

"It seems the venom in the animal's mouth has spread to the whole shoulder. I need to clean this out. It might hurt, but...stay still. It's for the good." He smirked. I rolled my eyes, but remained still as he prepared the disinfectant. Then, without warning, I felt a huge jolt of pain from my shoulder. Instinctively, I pulled my shoulder away from him.

"Didn't I just tell you to stay still?" He said. I glared at him.

"Maybe I will, if you warn me before you start hurting me?" I said angrily.

"I told you, it might hurt. Stay as still as you can, all right? And please; don't punch me." I braced myself for the upcoming pain, but when it finally came, I felt as though it was hard to breathe. It was so agonizing. My whole entire shoulder was on fire, and I couldn't do anything about it. I bit my lip till it bled a bit.

"There. All done." I heard Malfoy say. There was still pain in my shoulder, but not as much. I felt him wrap it up gently.

"Thank you." I muttered.

"What was that?" He asked. I smacked him with my good hand.

"I said that you are a prick, now if you'll excuse me, I'll take a nap!" I said, laying back in my sleeping bag. The second I managed to relax, my body just sighed of relief and I fell asleep.

When I next woke up, I found a small plate with a sandwich and a note that said: "You need to eat, or I'll have to deal with a dead know-it-all. D.M." I ripped the note in half and ate the sandwich before going outside to find Malfoy, swimming in the middle of the creek.

"Are you crazy? It's the middle of November!" I yelled at him. He looked at me, mildly surprised.

"What's wrong with cold water? I love the cold." He said sarcastically as he got out of the creek. I noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt, showing off his perfectly toned body. His flat stomach, his smooth skin...I snapped out of my thoughts before I delved too deeply into them.

"Enjoying the view, Granger?" He smirked. I cursed. He'd noticed me staring.

"Didn't we agree that you call me by my first name?" I sighed.

"Well, how's the deal, Hermione? Enjoyable view, eh?"

"Yeah, if you stepped out of the way, I could enjoy it a bit more." I said.

"Ouch, Hermione, that hurt."

"Well heal it with your skills." I said. He suddenly reached over and touched my arm.

"How's your shoulder? Better?"

"I'm standing here. Of course it's better." I said truthfully.

"So can you travel?"

"What's the rush?" I questioned. Malfoy walked over to the shore and picked up a small radio. "Listen." He said as he turned the radio on.

"The searching for two missing Hogwarts students, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, is about to get into full volume. Our sources tell us that it is unlikely for the two of them to be traveling together, unless they were kidnapped, which is a likely event that caused this. Yesterday they found a bloodied knife at the shore of a pond, and after further investigation we found that it was the blood of Hermione Granger. It may be that she is injured and somewhere in the forest, so we need to hurry. The searching parties have skimmed the Forbidden Forest from about five miles radius, and today they will send in larger and well equipped groups to investigate further. As you all know, it is impossible to apparate in the Forbidden Forest, and..." Malfoy snapped the radio off. I was staring at him, dumbfounded.

"We need to get moving. We're only approximately twenty miles from school, at the most. You're injured, and it's hard to move in the higher grounds, in which we are. I'd rather keep a ten-mile distance to them." He said. I nodded, and went over to begin packing, well as much as I could with one arm.

"Is your back all right?" I asked him as he pulled on a shirt, for which I was inwardly thankful. "Yeah." He grunted, then took the backpack from me. "Go sit down, I'll take care of this. It'll take longer for your shoulder to heal if you move it all the time." He said. I looked at him for a while, trying to figure why he was acting so nice, and then went and sat down. After watching him try and pack the sleeping bags unsuccessfully, I walked over and instructed him in how to do so.

"Why can't I just use magic?" He wondered aloud when he had packed the second sleeping bag.

"Because magic can be traced, and especially now that we are being searched for, we should refrain from using it." I sighed.

"Know-it-all." He muttered. I smacked him gently and went over to take the tent on my back.

"I'll take that." Malfoy interrupted.

"Aren't I allowed to do anything?" I complained.

"The less you carry, the faster you move." He replied. "Now, gimme your arm." He said. I did as he told me to, and soon enough he had managed to attach a makeshift sling, and I was relieved to be able to rest my arm there. My shoulder still hurt a bit, but I ignored it and began walking, with Malfoy in tow.

The landscape was getting steeper, and because there were rocks here and there, I kept on slipping and falling. I hadn't fallen on my arm yet; thank god. Finally, after watching me fall once again, Malfoy bent a straight branch, just a bit shorter than me, and gave it to me.

"A walking stick? I'm not a grandma, you know." I asked.

"I know, but you only have one arm to stabilize yourself. Use this." He said and continued on walking. I grumbled something, but continued on walking.

It took us about an hour to actually reach the top of what we discovered was quite a peculiar hill. The other side, the one we had came up, was quite long and not as steep as the other side, as that side was almost directly down. We were standing on the cliff, trying to figure what to do.

"We can't really go back anymore, can we?" I asked.

"Nope. You see, there..." He pointed forward. "There's a village right there. We could try and get down this cliff. It's only what, twenty meters?" He said. I shuddered. I wasn't really that fond of performing stunts, but then again...I didn't want to go back. Not anymore. I turned around to find Malfoy already pulling out a large amount of rope from his backpack.

"What on earth did you not pack in there?" I asked him. He just smirked.

"I packed everything that I thought I may need." He walked over and looked around, then walked over to a large oak about five meters from the edge. Quickly he'd managed to tie the rope tightly onto the oak, and the other end onto the backpack.

"I'll test the knots with the backpack, but you're next." He said simply. I grimaced; I was so not ready for this. A few painful minutes went by, and then Malfoy looked at me.

"Your turn." I bit my lip, but walked over and let him tie the rope around my waist and then I tied it around my thighs and arms, so it was almost like a harness. Sighing, I sat onto the edge, my feet dangling in the air. Suddenly, I chuckled a bit.

"What are you laughing about?" Malfoy asked.

"I'm actually scared I might die." I laughed. He smiled painfully, and then I gently pushed myself over the edge, ignoring the churning sensation at the bottom of my stomach. I hung there for a while, waiting for Malfoy to begin lowering me down. The view was quite marvelous, but then I looked down and my heart leaped to my throat. I was at least thirty meters above ground, and there was no cliffs or anything between me and the ground. I let out a tiny yelp as the rope shook and I began going down.

It was actually painful, because the rope was pressing against my injured shoulder, but after I shifted my weight a bit it didn't hurt; that much at least. Finally, after almost fifteen minutes of torturous hanging, my feet met firm ground and I let myself fall to the ground, shaking a bit. "I hate heights." I muttered as I untied the knots and let the rope back up.

"You all right?" I heard Malfoy yell. Then, suddenly, he threw the other end of the rope back to me. We had talked this through; I would hold the rope, which was fastened around the oak with a loop, with Malfoy hanging on the other end. I would slowly lower him down. He had his wand, just in case I accidentally let go or something. The rope was almost a hundred meters, as it was magical rope; it lengthened as much as the user needed. I tied the rope firmly onto a tree, then onto my waist again. I gripped the backpack firmly; me and the backpack were heavier than Malfoy.

Then, slowly, I saw his feet dangle over the edge, and then he lowered himself down so he was hanging much like I had hung. Then, slowly and carefully, I began letting rope run through my arms. I was using both of them, ignoring the small jolts of pain that came when the rope hit my shoulder. It all went slowly, and finally he was at a height where he untied the knots and jumped to the ground. I pulled the rope until it all fell over the cliff above us. Malfoy, who was still regaining his breath from the ordeal, happened to be standing right under the rope. So, when he was suddenly covered with heaps of rope, all I could do was to laugh.

"Don't you dare laugh." He grumbled at me. That just caused me to laugh a bit more, and slowly, I managed to get up using my walking stick.

"Sorry, it's just...that was funny. You have to admit that." I said. He smirked at me, but continued on walking. I let out one last laugh and hurried after him.

I kept on getting tired throughout our journey, and finally Malfoy got fed up with it and we stopped for the day. While I made the fire and dinner, Malfoy finally put up the tent on his own accord. We sat in front of the fire, eating what I'd made from the last of the beans, meat and some potatoes.

"We better get to the village soon, we're running out of food." I said.

"I didn't show you my secret pocket?" He asked me. I shook my head, and he opened his backpack. At the back of it was a small pocket, which seemed empty.

"Magic?" I asked as he pulled out a small baguette from it. He smiled at me. "Of course it's magic."

"You know, if you stop acting like a prick, we might actually be friends." I said. Malfoy stared at me for a moment.

"I guess so, yeah." He said. I smiled at him, and was surprised to find that he actually returned my smile.

* * *

**Thank you for reading the whole thing. I'm going to be gone for about five days :( so no story till then unless our 4G magically starts working ;P**


	5. The Beastslayer

**Hellooo lovelies! Happy late Midsummer by the way :)**

**I've been stayin' in the middle of nowhere for the past few days, the 4G started working now :P I finished the story already, so...**

**Keep on reading and reviewing**

* * *

**Draco's POV**

I felt sorry for her. That moment today when she had laughed because she was actually scared that she would die...I felt so guilty, so sad. And now she was suggesting we could be friends.

I hadn't really told her the whole truth about her injury; the fact that her whole shoulder was poisoned meant only one thing. The poison would spread. I knew I couldn't stop it from spreading. I had already developed a plan in my head; when we reached the village, I would leave Granger there and continue alone. She would be taken to St. Mungo's or something, and would survive. It was the only option; she required loads of treatment, and I couldn't stay around to wait. They'd catch me, and take me back home, where Father would torture me to the verge of death. I couldn't risk that. It was for her wellbeing; I felt happy if she was well and healthy. Maybe years later, I'd go back for her and explain everything. Maybe she'd forgive me and we could be friends. Or even something more... I shook my head. No. I couldn't risk that. Father would kill her and then kill me if he ever found out.

"Just forget you ever had feelings for her." I muttered. "Ever."

"Who're you talking to?" I heard Granger ask. I looked up; she was standing a few meters away from me, leaning against a tree. I hadn't expected her to be awake yet; it was still quite early in the morning.

"Did you just hear what I said?" I asked warily.

"Not really, you were talking so quietly I couldn't make out any words." She said truthfully. I sighed in relief.

"I wasn't talking to anyone." I said.

Granger nodded and walked over, turning the radio on.

"I wanna hear where the searching parties are." She explained, though I already knew what she was going to do.

"...and back to the two missing students from Hogwarts. Earlier we asked a few of Hermione Granger's friends of why she might've ran away, and here are the responses we got." "She was acting quite weird beforehand. She claimed something about Ron abusing her, which nobody believed. We came to the conclusion that she was depressed and was just looking for attention or something." I heard Potter's voice. Tears welled up in Granger's eyes. "Hermione, I hope you're listening to this. I just want to know, why? Why didn't you tell us something was wrong?" _Ginny._ "I told you guys what was wrong." She muttered. I looked at her curiously, but said nothing. "She claimed, I mean it's completely stupid, but she said that Ron had raped her! Searching for attention, that one. My little won-won would never ever in the world do that to me. Stupid bitch." Lavender Brown. Really? They thought that slut was her friend? "I don't even want to talk about that bitch. It's just good that she's gone." Ron said. I shut the radio and looked at her warily.

"Granger? You...all right?"

**Hermione's POV**

I shook my head and ran away from him, to the edge of the glade, and slumped to the ground, crying.

_See? Nobody likes you. Nobody believes you. You are worth nothing._

_Ginny didn't insult me..._

_But even she didn't believe you! Stop lying to yourself. There is nothing for you to live for._

I wailed quietly.

"Granger. Look at me." I heard Malfoy say. I turned my head away from him. "Look. At. Me." There was an odd determination in his voice. I felt him grip my chin gently and pull my head up so I could see him.

"What do you want?" I asked miserably. "I'm worth nothing. I am nothing." I hesitated for a second. "I'm better off dead."

"No, you're not."

"I bet nobody would care if I just died." I whispered. Suddenly I felt Malfoy grab my wrists and shake me. I looked up at him.

"Am I a nobody?" He asked angrily. "I would care if you died!" He yelled. I just stared at him blankly, and soon his expression softened.

Carefully, he pulled me up and hugged me. I leaned my head against his chest and sobbed.

"I'm sorry." He muttered as he rubbed circles on my back. After a few minutes, my sobs subsided, but I didn't pull away from him. I needed someone, anyone. Just to be there.

"Do you really care?" I whispered. There was a quiet pause.

"Yes." He muttered. "I do care." Somehow, I just felt it comforting. Not weird, that my childhood enemy was caring for me. It all clicked. Him being nice to me. The fact that he even rescued me in the first place. And I had thought he was going to play a trick on me or something.

We were quiet for a few minutes, and I just stood there, counting his heartbeat. Something steady in my constantly changing life.

"Hey, Hermione..." I heard Malfoy say. I looked up at him. "Hm?"

"I have to confess something." I pulled away from him so I could see his face properly

"What?"

"The poison in your shoulder will spread, and I cant stop it. So, I was going to..." His voice faded away and he looked at his feet.

"What were you going to...?" I asked.

"I was going to leave you in the village."He said quietly. I gasped. "But I won't, I promise." He said hurriedly. "I'll show you that not all friends will betray you." He added. I stared at him, tears in my eyes. He frowned. "Why are you crying now?" He whined. I smiled at him. "I'm crying because I'm happy, idiot!" I said. "You women make no sense at all. You cry when you're sad, and you cry when you're happy. Make up your mind." He huffed, but I could tell he was joking. I laughed just a bit. My head was throbbing more than ever; it had all day.

"Hermione? You all right?" Malfoy asked. "You're so pale." He muttered and tried my forehead. "You're burning up!" He cried as he pulled his hand away from my forehead. I didn't say anything, just sagged against him as all the energy left me. He quickly put his arms tightly onto my waist to support me. As he looked me in the eye, I saw he was surveying me.

"Your gaze isn't focusing, you have high fever, you're pale and clammy..." He muttered. "This isn't good." He sat me onto a log and went over to our packs, quickly gathering them and taking out his wand. He muttered something, and soon the backpack and tent were the size of dollhouse toys. He stuffed them into his pocket and walked over to me. He smirked at me. "Emergency." I knew he was talking about using magic, but I also knew this was some kind of emergency. He turned around and bent over. "Hop on." He said. I looked at him for a second. "Really?" I managed to ask. "Yes, really, I don't want you to die, so hop on! I know you can't walk. This is the fastest way." Carefully, I climbed onto his back. He hoisted me up so I wouldn't fall, and then set off to the direction of the village.

"You're so light. When was the last time you ate properly?" Draco asked me while we, well, he was walking.

"I don't know. Yesterday morning? The night before that?" I said.

"Don't you starve yourself. You're just skinny enough now." He replied. I laughed tiredly and rested my head on his shoulder. I noticed his eyes darted my way a few times. He was walking quite fast; soon we found ourselves at the large field, of which the village was only about a mile or so away.

"Promise me you won't leave me." I said to Draco.

"I won't, promise." He replied. I kissed his cheek gently as a thank you. I didn't have energy for anything else. Squinting my eyes, I saw a figure coming through the field. A horse...no, a centaur.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" The centaur called from five meters away, his arrow pointed at us. Draco put me down gently, but still supported me while he spoke to the magnificent beast.

"My apologies for bothering you, mighty centaur. We are two outcasts of the wizarding race; we are running from our searchers. If you please, sir, I am Draco Malfoy, and this is Hermione Granger." He said. I was surprised he could speak so politely.

"Why are you introducing her? Can she not speak for herself?" There was wariness in the centaur's voice.

"She is sick, sir. That is why we are here. She needs help."

"What is that she has?"

"She was bitten by a large, black, bear or wolf-animal. I do not know the name of it."

"The Shade Beast." The centaur said with fear in his voice. "Is it nearby?"

"No, she killed it with magic after she got bitten."

The centaur looked at me with awe. "You killed the Shade Beast. None has succeeded in it in a hundred years." He exclaimed. "Anyone who would rid us from that monster is our friend for a lifetime." The centaur said. "My name is Treom, and I am the chief of this village. I must do this; give me your wands for your stay. I will keep them as my most treasured belongings and return them to you when you wish to leave. The centaurs are not that fond of wizard-folk." Treom said.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Chief Treom." Draco said as he gave the centaur his wand. He then carefully asked me to give him my wand, which I did. I had been half-asleep throughout the discussion, and now that we were moving, I was starting to really get tired. Treom reached to his side and pulled a horn from there. When he blew into it, immediately at least five centaurs came galloping from the village.

"This human girl needs tending to. She has killed the Shade Beast, and was bitten in the process." He said to a woman centaur, who nodded and walked over to me. She then carefully picked me into her arms and galloped away, gently as she could.

"Do not fall asleep, Beastslayer. It may betray you." The woman said gently. Her voice was beautiful, like a bird's song. I tried my best to keep my eyes open, because we arrived to the village and I of course wanted to see everything. The houses were higher than human ones; of course, centaurs were taller than humans. They were very well made; the walls of the houses were covered with intricate carvings featuring flowers, birds and animals. I saw a few centaur children lurking from between their parent's legs. All the centaurs had gathered around, and were watching me.

"Where is mother Dialma?" The centaur who was carrying me asked clearly. An old, female centaur walked fro.

"I am here, my child." The old woman looked at me. "She needs healing, now." the centaur that was carrying me said. I was only half-awake; the pain in my shoulder had increased, and I could hardly hear anything from my thudding headache. I remember being brought into a hut, and the mesmerizing smell of mint and other medical plants. Then, I fell asleep.


	6. An honor to know you

**Hello, hello.**

**I see you've come to read my story.**

**Hi.**

* * *

**Draco's POV**

I watched as the centaur galloped away, Hermione in her arms. It was up to them now; I hadn't told Hermione that the symptoms she'd had today were signaling a bad infection. A really bad one.

"What is your story?" Treom asked. I snapped out of my thoughts.

"My story? Or our story?"

"How did you end up as an outcast?"

"My family is quite powerful, but...it also brings lots of pressure. Things I "must" do. People despising me. And my father tortured me. So I ran away. I wanted to start a life so that there were no expectations." Treom nodded, and gestured me to continue. "Well, I was traveling at night, when I came across her...she was trying to kill herself. I managed to save her, and now she doesn't even want to die anymore."

"Why did she want to die?"

"There were many things. Her parents died. Her friends betrayed her. Somehow she managed to get the idea that she was nothing, that she was worth nothing." I replied. Treom nodded.

"You must be tired. Let us go, you shall stay at my house. You can see your friend later."

I nodded, and followed him to the village. The people were much taller than me, but I didn't mind. It was their village, not mine. I was lesser than them.

"Your houses are very finely made." I complimented truthfully.

"Ah, thank you. We teach the children to carve, and then they practice on our walls." Treom laughed. "I'll take you to mother Dialma. She'll check you. You did fight the Shade Beast, am I correct?"

"Yes, and it scratched me in the back." I said. We reached the house, where an old female centaur was tending to Hermione. She was fast asleep, and there was already some color on her face.

"Another human, a boy." The centaur stated. I nodded and bowed slightly. "A pleasure to meet you."

"And has good manners." I smiled at that comment. If I didn't have good manners, my teachers would've beaten me up.

"Take your shirt off and turn around." mother Dialma then said. I obeyed, and as I turned, I heard her smirk.

"He's got proper scars, this one. He'll be a good fighter." She said. I wondered what she meant. She then led me to a stool right beside Hermione's bed, and began washing my back with some sweet-smelling ointment. I warily watched Hermione sleep while she was at it."There, all clean. Now it won't get infected." She said. I pulled my shirt back on and thanked her. "Will Hermione be all right?" I then asked.

"When she wakes, she'll be good to travel again. Her arm does need to rest for a month or so, but the poison will be gone. Her wrist was broken also, and none had been done for that, so it might take as long as two months to be perfectly fine." Dialma said.

"Thank you for healing her." I said.

"Now, let us go and eat. Thou seem tired." Treom said happily. I gladly followed him, though I felt bad for leaving Hermione.

I was led to Treom's house, which was located at the highest hill inside the village. Somehow it felt as though I had been traveling in time; and yet it didn't quite feel like it. The food they served was good; roast meat, mash, roasted vegetables and barley. I was quite suspicious about the barley, but when I tried it, I found that it was actually tasty. They also gave me beer; it was sweet, and though I didn't notice it at first, it was quite high on alcohol.

"Treom? May I ask you a few questions?" I asked the centaur.

"Curiosity is not a matter of shame, human boy." He replied. I gulped, and continued.

"Today, when mother Dialma said "he'll be a good fighter" after she'd mentioned my scars. What did she mean by that?"

"Ah, you aren't familiar with the our tradition. You see, we think of scars as trophies, proof that we have fought for something and survived. It is said that one who gains scars from the Shade Beast, well, they'll be extraordinary fighters. Maybe I should test you. To see what you can do." Treom wondered, stroking his beard. "How about tomorrow? I'll fetch you in the morning." He said.

"Of course. I would like to see what I could do myself." I replied honestly.

"Did you have anything else to ask about?"

"Nothing really." I replied. Treom grunted and turned back to his food.

After finishing the heavy dinner, I was feeling quite tipsy from the alcohol. I dragged myself to the small room Treom had showed me earlier and literally collapsed onto my stack of pillows and such(centaurs slept in stable-looking things) and fell asleep instantly.

I woke up early in the morning, surprised to find that I had hardly no hangover at all. Surprised, because usually I would've had a thudding headache. After washing quickly in a water basin at the back of my room, I put on sweatpants and a t-shirt before walking outside.

Not many were awake at that time, just a few centaurs here and there working. I walked to Dialma's house. I wanted to see if Hermione was all right.

"Awake at this hour?" I heard someone say. I turned around quickly, and relaxed as I saw mother Dialma walk towards me.

"The human girl is not yet awake. She might sleep for a week." She said before I managed to answer her first question.

"Oh."

"I noticed someone had tended to her shoulder. You?" She asked.

"Yes...I have studied wizard healing for a while now."

"Would you like to come with me? I'll show you a few plants from the forest you can use for healing." Mother Dialma offered. I nodded, and so the centaur turned away and I followed her into the forest.

. . .

"This is whilshweed. If you chop it's leaves and mix them with water, you can spread it on a burn or a small scratch and it'll heal it within an hour." I nodded and collected a few leaves from the plant. We were back at the village; I saw Treom standing, waiting for us.

"Have you had breakfast?" He asked. I nodded.

"Mother Dialma showed me a few edible plants and I ate half a barley bread."

"Good. Let's go and test you, shall we?" Treom then said. I nodded slowly and followed him, after thanking Dialma for the lesson.

We arrived at the field, Treom carrying a sword, two bows, a spear, and a knife. He had handed me a sword; it was light and well made. I had never used a sword in my life though.

"Have you used any of these?" Treom asked me as he let the things fall to the ground. I saw a few targets nearby.

"No, not really." I said.

"Which one do you want to start with?" He then asked. I looked at the weapons. The sword seemed the hardest, so I'd rather do it last.

"Maybe spear?" I said. Treom nodded, and threw me the spear. I caught it with ease, but was surprised to find that it was quite heavy.

"Aim for one of the targets and try to throw." He said. I chose the middle one, aimed, and- missed. I tried again, and missed again.

"I don't think spearing is your thing." Treom said. "How about you try with the bow?" He asked. I took the bow and put the arrow to the string. I pulled the string back, aimed, and hit the outer ring on the target.

"Not bad for the first try. Shoot a few more." Treom said. I reckon he was a master at this. I shot four more times, two of which missed the target and the two others getting closer to the center.

"All right." Treom said and handed me a knife. "Throw it." I stared at him blankly. "This? How?" I asked. Treom just smiled and gestured me to try. I sighed and gripped the tip of the knife. Somehow it just felt right to do so. I didn't reach my hand back far, either. I used my wrist as the throwing. I took a deep breath and threw it.

"Whoa!" Treom exclaimed. I looked at the target. The knife was in the inner circle, even if it was only just mere centimeters away from the middle circle. I took the other knife from the ground and threw it again. It went in the inner circle, once again. I picked up another knife, ready to throw it, when Treom stopped me.

"You have a talent with throwing knives. Let's see if you can fight with one." He picked up his sword and quickly slashed at me. I leaped away and parried his blade to the side with my knife. He kept on slashing, and I kept on leaping around like a bloody frog and occasionally tripping over. Finally, Treom attempted to slice right at my head. I somehow managed to get under the blade and locked it onto my knife by sticking it right to the joint between the hilt and the blade. We stood there for a moment, staring at each other.

"Good match. You clearly have a talent for knives. Or maybe just blades in general." He said, handing me a sword. Once again, he sliced at me before I had enough time to react. Instinctively, I parried it away, though it was harder to control the blade because it was a meter longer. We continued the match for a while, though I knew I was outmatched by Treom. Finally he managed to hit the sword from my hands. It clattered against the rocks.

"Good. With a little practice you will be a good swordsman." He said to me. "Go on, pick up your sword." I walked over and picked it up. While I had done that, Treom had already gathered all the arrows, knives and spears, and we began heading for the village. We didn't go in yet, though. Treom stopped me right before the walls with a mysterious look on his face.

"Look." He told me. He turned his wrist so I could see his forearm clearly. Right in the middle of it was a small, circular and intricate tattoo. I was about to ask what was so interesting about a tattoo when he quickly twisted and moved it, and suddenly there was a sword in his hands.

"Whoa. How-"

"It is magic. This tattoo-" Treom pointed to it. "-has the exact same symbol as this sword does." I looked closer at the hilt. Sure enough, there was an identical symbol. "I know you wizards have wands, and that wands choose the wizard, right?" I nodded. "Well, this is almost the same. Our magicians and blacksmiths work very much together when making weapons. The weapon chooses you to bear it. And I want you to go and find yourself a weapon."

"Why are you being so generous with me?"

"I haven't yet told you the story about the Shade Beast, have I?" Treom asked. I shook my head. "Well, it is a curse, set upon our village by another centaur clan that was in war with us because they believed we stole their land. It comes back every year, and every year we must fight so it won't kill us all. Last year it killed my son. My first-born..." Treom stopped and brushed a tear from his eye. "We are forever grateful for killing the Beast. And that is why we are considering you and your friend to be...our clan members."

"And what would that mean?"

"That you and your families will always be welcome here, whether it is just for a visit or protection. There is a small ceremony, which includes having our symbol, our rune, tattooed into your right palm. There you'll always remember it." Treom replied, showing me his palm. There was a simple, but unique symbol straight at the middle of his palm.

"I would be honored, but I need to hear Hermione's opinion first." I replied diplomatically. I didn't really need time to think, I would do it. It was a great honor.

Treom nodded and led me to the house right beside his. As we walked in, I found it was a workshop, filled with blades and such.

"Who goe-" An old male centaur began. "Oh, it's you, Treom. And a human boy?"

"Yes, Oric, a human boy. He and his friend fought the Shade Beast, and his friend killed it. Have you not come out of your workshop enough?"

"Hmm...now that you mention it, it may have been last moon when I last came out." The old centaur said, stroking his beard. "So, you be looking for a blade?"

"For him, yes. He was scratched in the back by the Shade Beast; it would be a shame not to give him a blade."

"Well then, don't just stand there. Walk around. You can see when a blade chooses you." Oric said. I started off, feeling quite foolish, to be honest with you. I had been walking around the workshop for five minutes when I saw a blue light come from the bottom of a pile of old swords and knives. "Should I dig in?" I asked. "Go on." Oric gestured. I sighed and pushed the pile of knives away to reveal a knife, about twenty centimeters long, it's blade glowing a bluish light. Slowly, I closed my fingers around it's hilt. It felt just perfect.

"Well, I finally found an owner for that one." Oric said. "I've had it for a hundred years now. A very picky knife, if I would say." I noticed the blade wasn't glowing anymore. The blade was silver with tons of intricate carvings on it. Runes, pictures and all that. The hilt was made of gold, and there was leather strips on the handle so it felt soft and good on the hand. At the end of it was quite a large emerald. I looked at it closer. The symbol was the emerald. It was carved, and I saw tons of spikes and circles on it.

"How much is it?" I asked. Oric looked at me. "We don't pay for these. I just make them and when someone finds a good one I just feel happy for the blade." I nodded and walked over to Treom.

"Now we should head to Jorgen's house." he said. I could tell he was uneasy around Oric. As we walked down the main street of the village, he explained it to me.

"He is my old mentor. I'm quite scared of him, you know. He wasn't the nicest teacher, but I did learn."

"I understand." I said as we walked into a shadowy room, half filled with strong-smelling smoke.

"Treom. Human boy." I heard a voice. We turned around to find an old centaur, standing behind us.

"We have come to link him and his blade together." Treom said clearly.

"Yes, yes. A human boy.." The man, Jorgen, said. "Hand over your blade." I gave him the knife. He muttered something, and I saw the emerald begin glowing. "Give me your left arm." The magician instructed. I did as he told me. I watched intently as he took a small quill-looking thing and dipped it in some ink. He traced my arm for a while before pushing the quill in. It hurt just a bit, not too much. As the quill worked on my skin, the trace it left glowed the same green as the emerald on my blade. Finally Jorgen pulled the quill away and covered the tattoo with some wet leaves which he tied tightly onto my arm.

"Keep them on for a while." The magician said before disappearing into the shadows. I looked around for my knife, but didn't see it anywhere.

"Your knife isn't here anymore. It is branded to your skin; you can conjure it up whenever you need it."

"How?" I asked as we stepped back out into the sunlight. It blinded me for a second, and I had to blink my eyes rapidly to get used to the light.

"Just think of holding it in your hand and twist your wrist just a bit."

I tried, and suddenly felt the familiar weight of the knife in my hand. "I...I can't even explain how grateful I am. This is marvelous." I said.

"I am just as grateful to you and to your friend." Treom replied.


	7. Warming up

Draco's POV

The next week and a half went by fast. I practiced fighting with both swords and knives as well as with my bare hands. After the first few days I had been quite sore, but now I wasn't at all. I had gotten accustomed to the ways of the village. The centaurs weren't that much talking to me, except for a few; Treom, his second son Jerdu, and Jerdu's two friends, Boddr and Thage. Jerdu was about my age; well, considering that centaurs lived for about two hundred years he was. He had just gotten his blade a month ago, so we practiced together. It hadn't snowed yet either, though the elders of the village kept on saying that there'll be a great storm soon.

Hermione hadn't woken at all during that time; I was quite worried about her. Mother Dialma had assured me it was because her body needed to repair her well, and it took time. I was practicing, once again, when Dialma came up to me.

"She's awake. You can go now; I'll let you two be alone for a while." I stood there for a few moments, stunned. Then I de-conjured my knife and ran to the house.

As I walked into the room, I found Hermione lying in the bed, propped up against the pillows so she was in a sitting position. Her eyes were wide open, and she was staring at me.

"Hermione..." I sighed in relief. I quickly walked over and hugged her carefully.

"Draco." She said quietly, burying her face into my shoulder. I felt her sob just a bit.

"What is it?" I asked, pulling away from her and setting her against the pillows gently.

"You have no idea how horrid the nightmares were." She muttered.

"Can you tell me?" I raised my eyebrows. She sighed.

"In one of them, you were dead, and it was all my fault. And then...everyone blamed me every second of my life for it." She murmured. "And in another one I just relived...Ron...and" She buried her face in her hands and cried.

"Hey. Hermione. I'm not dead, and nobody is blaming you for anything. And what Ron did was completely stupid and cowardly." I said. She looked up at me, and suddenly gripped the back of my neck and touched my lips with hers. I was surprised for a second, then gently gripped her shoulders and kissed her back. Oh, how I'd wanted to do this for ages.

When she pulled away, I noticed she was blushing just a bit. She looked at her hands. "Sorry...it was just..." I put my finger to her lips melodramatically.

"Don't say a word. Just answer this question. Do you like me?" I asked.

"Yes, I do like you, Draco Malfoy!" She said happily. I was happy to see she had regained her energy.

"Oh. I hate you." I said. She pouted just a bit. "I hate you for being so pretty that my heart aches." I finished my sentence. She smiled and smacked my head. "I like you too." I said then. "I knew you did. Why else would you have asked the question?" She said. I laughed. "Now, tell me, what has been going on for these almost two weeks or so?"

I sighed and began my little story.

. . .

Hermione was tracing my tattoo absentmindedly when I finished explaining to her about the clan thing. I had shown her how the knife came out and back in twice, and both times her eyes had widened a lot.

"So...do you want to?"

"Yes, I do. This is something not a single wizard would even dream of being offered. A great honor. It would be rude to decline." She said. I smiled. There was nothing she didn't know a little about.

"I'll go and tell Treom. You better stay in bed..." I said. She pouted. "But I don't want to be alone." she said. I smiled at her. "I promise, I'll go and ask mother Dialma if you can walk yet. Just a second." I walked outside.

Once I found Dialma, I asked her my question. "She can walk if she wants to." she replied with a smile. I quickly thanked her and ran back to Hermione.

"You can walk if you want to." I said, still panting.

"Well that was fast." she smirked as she used the bedpost to get up. I noticed her swaying just a bit, so I stepped to her side and took her arm. "Watch it, Granger." I said jokingly. She laughed and took a few experimental steps. She managed to walk, so we began walking towards Treom's house.

"Ah, you're awake. Feeling all right?" Treom said as he saw Hermione.

"Yes, I am just a bit tired, that's all."

"So, what is your answer to joining the clan? It doesn't mean that you have to live here, just that you are part of our family." Treom smiled. We both nodded. "Good, Jorgen is inside with the needed equipment. It's a fast ceremony, really. Just me, the chief, and the mage."

We walked inside and stood around the fire. The ceremony was short as Treom had said; Jorgen just drew the runes on both our palms and then Treom congratulated us. He gave me a big bear-hug and Hermione he hugged gently, wary of her shoulder. After that, I gave Hermione a tour around the village. Half-way though Jerdu, Boddr and Thage joined us. Hermione was a bit wary around them at first, but soon I noticed she warmed up to them.

"So, you two part of our clan now, eh?" Boddr asked.

"Yeah." I said.

"Did it hurt?" The question surprised me.

"Didn't you get it too?"

"Nay, we were born with it."

"Oh. Well, it didn't hurt. Just stung." I said.

Finally, after walking around for a while, Jerdu, Boddr and Thage left us two alone.

"Draco?"

"Hm?"

"When do you think we should leave?"

"I don't know. We should leave soon, before it snows." I said.

"Hmm..." Hermione sighed. I leaned in and kissed her forehead. "We should leave tomorrow. Oric said it'll snow within two weeks now. If we get to the base of those mountains-" I pointed to the horizon,"-we can apparate from there. We've been gone for what, almost a month? We can settle down soon." I said.

"What do you mean "settle down"? " Hermione asked then. I cursed in my head. I hadn't meant to say it.

"Like I was thinking maybe getting ourselves a small cottage in Italy or something. If you want to, of course." I said hurriedly.

She laughed. "Yeah, sure, why not? It's more fun when I have someone who knows my past when I'm trying to start over." She sighed. "But how do you think we'll get the house? You are rich, but you can't just march into Gringotts and-"

"I already did, last month. I made a fake account for Will Brenton, and put 70 000 galleons there. They didn't even ask me why. I made them all forget I had transferred the money, and let them believe he had inherited the money from his rich grandma and earned some of it."

"That's...a lot!"

"A house will cost about 30 000." I smiled.

"But wouldn't your parents notice that many galleons missing?"

"Not really. I told them I was going on a little trip around the world; I then hid in our basement for the whole summer." I said. She looked at me.

"How much money do you really have?" She asked.

"I don't know. Maybe...a few million galleons?" I said shyly. "You need to know that Malfoy Corporation makes a lot of money per year, but it also costs a lot." I added as she lifted an eyebrow.

"That's a lot of money." She said. I nodded. "I not that proud of it, okay? People think I'm a self-centered git because I have money."

"I thought you were one before."

"And now?"

"I think that you are not."

"Thank you. You have no idea what that means to me." I sighed. She gripped my hand and whispered.

"You're welcome." And then she kissed me tenderly. I know this is so cliché, but I felt fireworks explode inside me when she kissed me. And when she pulled away, I still felt a warm tingle in my fingers long afterwards.


	8. Back on the road

**Hermione's POV**

Treom had agreed that we should leave before it snowed, and so he had given us a bit more food. He had also given us winter-cloaks, made of leather with sheep's wool on the inside of it. He explained that they had gotten them as payment a few ten years backwards from three human traveler's; it had been summer at the time, and they hadn't needed them. Draco had returned the backpack and the tent back to their original size, and I could carry the tent, as my shoulder hardly hurt at all. There were white scars, but nothing else. We had then left the village, promising them to come for a visit.

After walking for a good fifteen minutes in silence, I spoke up.

"Draco?"

"Yeah?"

"Nothing, just wanted to make sure you were there." I said.

"Why?"

I hesitated for a while. "Because I had a dream just like this, where we were walking in the forest, and then suddenly you weren't there anymore and it was dark." I said with a shiver. I felt his hand slip into mine. "You know I wouldn't do that. Ever."

"Mhm...oh, and how are we supposed to disguise ourselves?"

"How old are you?" He asked me.

"18...why?"

"I'm 18, I turn 19 in June. When we're 18, the trace leaves us. I left a letter to the Order of the Phoenix in the Astronomy Tower, explaining You-Know-Who's plan. I've been researching how he is to be killed for a while now; I left a letter explaining that too. I hope they'll trust me. I just need to send them a letter saying where the letters are." He said. "When he falls, there will be a lot of chaos. We can stay in Italy during that too. The reason why I asked for your age was because I just wanted to know when the trace will leave you. So you don't have the trace anymore..."

"Yeah." I said.

"Nobody knows us in Italy. We can stay as we like."

"Really? Even you?"

"Well, maybe we can charm our hair so it looks like a different color...to other people."

"I know how to do that."

"Of course you do." Draco said, shaking my hand a bit. I laughed. "I don't know everything."

"Yes. I know you don't know much about Quidditch."

"That is my weak spot, yes. But I do know that the Slytherin seeker is the handsomest guy in Hogwarts..." I said. Draco looked at me. "You really think that?"

"Yeah."

"And you're not drunk?"

"No!" I cried, laughing.

"Then I actually received a compliment from a Gryffindor. Not bad." He said.

"I complimented you before!"

"Not about my looks."

"Oh."

. . .

Eight hours or so later we were sitting around the campfire, talking and eating. I had warmed up the meat Treom had given us and a few potatoes with some bread. I had just emptied the bottle of milk we had gotten.

"No more milk then." I said. Suddenly Draco burst out laughing. "What?" I demanded. "You have a mustache." He giggled. I wiped it away quickly and threw the last drops of milk onto him. He yelped and fell backwards, off of the log he was sitting on. "My turn to laugh." I said. Suddenly I felt two hands tickle my stomach. I yelped and fell backwards, much like how Draco had fallen a second ago. Instead of falling to the ground though, I felt myself hit something soft. I looked up, and found that I was lying in Draco's lap, his hands around my waist and resting on my stomach.

"Who's laughing now?" He asked, then quickly pecked my lips with his. I groaned and tried to get up, but it was quite hard. I felt Draco give me a gentle push and suddenly I was sitting back on the log. "You sneaky little Slytherin." I huffed. I heard him chuckle beside me, and as I turned around I saw that he had sat beside me on the log.

"I am what I am." he said. I rolled my eyes. It was so weird. I had just today confessed that I liked him, and we were already acting more like a couple than before. I told what I thought to Draco, who agreed with me that it was weird.

"But I wouldn't really want it any other way. You're my first friend, you know." He said. I looked at him. He had gotten off of the log and was lying on the leaves, staring at the stars. I slid off of the log and onto the ground beside him.

"You haven't had any other friends? How about Crabbe and Goyle? " I asked.

"They were just hanging around me because my father told them to." Draco said. I wasn't really surprised.

"I have one question." I said.

"Hm?"

"Do you speak Italian?"

"Yes, in fact I do. My father thought it was a waste of time, Italy is quite far away and that, but I insisted. When I said that a few good Dark Arts books were in Italian, he finally let me." He said.

"Good, because otherwise we would have some trouble trying to buy a house." I replied.

"You know, there is this lovely town about a five hour drive from Rome. It's a completely wizard town, and it's at the sea shore."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I think it's the ideal place to live." He said.

"You've planned all this, haven't you?"

"Maybe. But how do you think we should explain our sudden move?"

"We could act like a couple."

"Would you need to act?"

"Nope."

"Me neither, girlfriend."

"Wouldn't want it otherwise, boyfriend." I laughed.

"We could explain that we had some bad situations at home and we needed a change." Draco suggested.

"Yeah. But how about our jobs?"

"I don't know. Maybe we just look for them there?"

"Yeah, probably." I yawned. I sat up and turned the radio on.

"...and today's news are almost at their end. The search two missing Hogwarts students, Hermione Grager and Draco Malfoy, has been ended. They believe that Mr. Malfoy had fallen off of a cliff, as they found a few bones and strips of clothing under the cliff, as well as lots of wolves hanging around. As for Hermione Granger, many believe that she tried to kill herself for an unknown reason and succeeded. We send our apologies to all the relatives of the two. And now, the new Christmas Song by Madame Ytraz, a brand new song published just..." I shut the radio.

"This is so horrible." I said with a straight face.

"What is?" Draco asked warily.

"I'm dead."

"Me too." Draco replied seriously.

Draco laughed, and soon I joined in. We laughed for a while until I suddenly yawned and decided to go to sleep. After a few moments of lying in my sleeping bag, I felt Draco crawl into the tent as well. And after a few more moments I felt him reach over and hug me around the waist, pulling me to him.

"It'll be warmer like this." He said as an explanation. I smiled to myself in the dark.

"And more comfortable." I murmured before I fell asleep. I didn't feel alone anymore. Not at all.

. . .

When I woke in the morning, it was still quite early. I didn't feel like getting up though; Draco was still fast asleep, and his arms were around me protectively but gently. I began tracing his tattoo again, just to pass the time. It was so complex and detailed; some of the patters were smaller than the nail on my pinkie. It must've been half an hour before I noticed Draco's eyelids flutter open. He yawned just a bit and pulled be closer.

"This is something I would love to wake up to every morning." He said, still half in the daze. I smiled at him. "It all did happen, right? We kissed, and you said you liked me, and..." Draco said hurriedly. "No, it wasn't a dream, idiot." I said. He sighed in relief. "Good, because I was pretty sure you would punch me if it was." I laughed and got up hastily. "I need breakfast." I said as I saw Draco pout. "Fine. I don't want you sick again." He said. I laughed half-heartedly; I didn't want to get sick either.

Suddenly, the flutter of wings startled us both and I saw an owl fly to our campfire. It was Ginny's owl, Gary. Because she had accidentally named Ron's owl, Ron had named hers. And this was what she got. There was a letter attached to it's leg. I walked over quickly and took the letter.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I don't believe you're dead. And I won't, I never will, until I see your dead body. I'm writing to you because I want you to come back. Harry is heartbroken, because his best friend is dead and his other best friend won't even show any kind of emotion towards your memory besides hate. I miss you, Hermione. I want to know what caused you to leave. To try and kill yourself. Why, Hermione? Why?_

_Missing you,_

_Ginny Weasley_

_P.S I attached some ink and paper just in case you don't have any._

I looked up from the letter and indeed, there was a small bottle of ink, a quill and a piece of parchment attached to Gary's leg. I reached over and picked it up.

"You're going to reply?" I turned over and saw that Draco had read the letter over my shoulder.

"Yes." I said. "But don't worry. I won't go back."

"Good." Draco said, reaching around my waist and pulling me into his lap. "Let's write a letter then, shall we?"

_Dear Ginny._

_I won't come back to Hogwarts. I can't. This is my last year at Hogwarts anyway; I'm only missing half a school year. I'll tell you one last time why I left. I don't care whether you believe me or not. I am not coming back for you and Harry or anyone else. Ron raped me. That is what happened. He used his position as the popular Quidditch player to make it seem as though I was just trying to ruin his career and get attention. And you all believed him. Even Harry. I swear, I never lied. But even if you apologize and send me a million galleons, I won't come back. I have found a better life, better than what I ever had at Hogwarts. Oh, and show this to Ron. In fact, nail it on the Gryffindor pin board for everyone to see. I don't fucking care anymore. And you can blame Ron for that._

_And please don't tell anyone I'm still alive. Or, tell Harry. But nobody else, it'll cause too much of a fuss. Please, Ginny. I'm asking this as a friend of yours. I promise I'll come back someday to see you. Maybe you'll be married then. Or maybe you'll be an old lady and have grey hair. Maybe you'll have kids, I don't know. But I promise this. I will come back. And I am not mad at you. The only person I'm mad at is Ron. _

_Sorry and goodbye, _

_Hermione Jean Granger_

_P.S. Tell Harry to climb up to the Astronomy Tower and press the only black stone on one of the pillars. The letters inside are telling the truth. It's urgent._

I sighed and rolled up the paper. Before attaching it to the owl's leg though, I pulled out my wand and performed a memory charm onto it. Then I quickly attached the letter and let the owl go.

"Now it won't remember where we are." I said to a confused Draco. He smiled and kissed my cheek. "My little know-it-all." He sighed. "You can turn an insult into a compliment." I laughed. "Not all of them." He said. "Of course not, idiot." I giggled. "Hey!" He said. "I'm sorry." I smiled. I kissed him gently. "Better?"

"Yes, much better." He said and let me get up. I started packing up. "We're leaving already?" He whined. "We have about two days before it snows, remember?" He grimaced, but began helping me pack. It was quite cold; the wind was almost freezing. I decided to put on the cloak we'd gotten; I took the smaller one and threw it on. It was so warm, though it did smell a bit like sheep.

"Is it warm?" Draco asked. I nodded, so he took the cloak and threw it on too. "It really is warm." He said, his eyes wide with surprise. I laughed and began walking in the forest.

"Granger!" I heard Draco say.

"What?"

"The mountains are the opposite way." He said. I smiled and walked to him, slipping my hand into his. "Thank you for the information." I said and so we began walking, hand-in-hand.


	9. Meanwhile at Hogwarts

- Hogwarts -

Ginny was sitting at the window facing the Forbidden Forest in the Gryffindor common room. She was waiting for her owl - like she had for the past two days. Suddenly, a small shadow appeared above the Forest, moving quickly towards her. She was hoping it was Gary.

A few minutes later, the owl was perched on the back of her chair, and Ginny was ripping the letter open. She quickly read it. When she finished, she sat there staring at her hands. The letter slipped to the floor from her hands.

"She was telling the truth?" She whispered. A few hot tears fell onto her hands. "I can't believe she managed to stay calm, even though everyone was sneering at her." She muttered as she picked up the letter and rushed to Harry, who was sitting in the armchair, staring at the fire.

"Harry!" Ginny said loudly. He looked up lazily. "Gin...what is it?"

"I got a reply from Hermione. There, do you believe me now?"

His eyes lit up immediately. "Let me see." Ginny handed the letter to him and watched as his expression darkened until he dropped the letter to the ground.

"She really was telling the truth?" Harry asked, tears in his eyes.

"I know baby, it's hard to believe." Ginny said softly.

"We need to go to the Astronomy Tower. Now." Harry said, quickly kissing Ginny.

Twenty minutes later Harry and Ginny were standing in the Astronomy Tower, their teeth clattering because of the cold wind.

_Dear whoever reads this. I hope you are a member of the Order, and if you aren't, would you mind giving this to one? Except if this is Voldemort, which would mean that the world has come to an end. I have researched this for a year now; I know how to defeat You-Know-Who. He has horcruxes; pieces of his soul, hidden here and there. I figured there were six; Harry Potter has destroyed at least one of them, the diary. Professor Dumbledore destroyed another, the ring. I have destroyed more; the cup of Helena Hufflepuff, the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, and the crystal flask of his first potions teacher. There is one more to defeat; the man himself. Before it seemed impossible to kill him; now he is as fragile as a porcelain cup. I have spied on the man's plans for my whole life; and I have one other thing to tell you._

_The death eaters are meant to invade Hogwarts on December 29th in order to kill Albus Dumbledore. They will invade through the Room of Requirements; ask anyone who was in D.A. in fifth year, they know where it is._

_I would rather stay unknown for now. Do not try to find me. _

Harry stared at the letter, dumbfounded. Then he suddenly snapped out of his trance and began hurrying towards professor Dumbledore's office.


	10. Italian rookies and rosy breakfast inn's

******Hellooo lovelies :)**

**Sorry i haven't added so often, this 4G doesn't really work so well ;P**

**Anyhow, thanx for the lovely reviews and keep on reading**

* * *

**Draco's POV**

I was proud of her, I truly was. She had stood up for herself and snapped back at her friends. We were just sitting on a log, on a hill that overlooked the valley that separated us and the mountain range. If we really walked a bit longer today, we might actually reach it.

Her broken wrist was fine, and I was just changing the bandages on it. As I took off the old ones, I saw that her wrist had a few bruises here and there, but otherwise it was fine. I quickly wrapped it up and helped Hermione up. "We should hurry now, so we can make a camp at the other side of the valley." I said.

"How about we try and apparate now? We are at the base of the mountain range." She said. I sighed and gestured her to try. "I'll apparate down the hill, okay?" She assured as she pulled out her wand. I watched as she disappeared with a poof.

"It worked!" I heard her yell down the hill. I took a few steps towards the edge, when my foot slipped on a loose rock and I went tumbling down the hill. I hit a few rocks, but before anything serious could happen I heard Hermione scream Wingardium Leviosa and I was suddenly floating in the air.

"Thank you." I said as I dusted off my clothes. I was sure I would get a few bruises, but otherwise I was fine.

"You're welcome." She said, trying not to laugh. "So...you apparate and I hold your hand. You know where we're going, anyway." She continued. I nodded and held out my hand. She gripped it tight. "I'm going to apparate to the outskirts of the town; I've been there before. And maybe we need new clothes too." I said. She nodded, and then suddenly the scene changed.

We were overlooking a town, the sun beaming down at us and the sea glistening in the light, turquoise blue. I quickly pulled Hermione along with me down the sand dune so we wouldn't be seen. We both took off our cloaks; it wasn't as cold here. "Wait here, I'll apparate to another muggle town and buy you and I clothes." I said. She nodded and told me her jeans size and that sort. So I dropped the backpack beside her and apparated again. Soon I found myself in San Marino, and after strolling around for a while(I had cleaned my clothes quickly) I walked into a clothing shop and headed towards the men's section.

"May I help you?" A woman came up to me asked in Italian. "Yes, I am looking for some clothes for my girlfriend. Could you help me?" I asked, acting confused. The woman smiled at me kindly and directed me to the ladies section. I had already picked out a light green button-up shirt and dark blue jeans for myself. My sneakers had also been cleaned; they'd be fine. Soon I walked out of the store, wearing the clothes I had bought for myself and a small bag containing a pair of skinny jeans, a light blue tank top and a white cardigan for Hermione. I quickly stopped by in a shoe store and bought matching, beige sandals with white flowers for Hermione as well before apparating back. I found Hermione exactly where I'd left her, looking towards the sea thoughtfully.

"Hey." I said. She turned around quickly, but relaxed when she saw it was me. I handed her the bag. "Did anyone know you?" She asked. "Nope, not a single person." She took the clothes, and I turned around."I promise, I won't look." I said. "Just in case." She said, and suddenly I found that I was blindfolded. After a few minutes, she took the blindfold spell off and I saw her. "You look gorgeous." I breathed. She really did look stunning. "This isn't quite what I usually wear, but cute." She said. "You actually have taste for fashion. Never thought boys could." I laughed at that, and shrinked the backpack so it fit in my pocket. "Let's go and book a room, shall we?" I asked her. She smiled at me. "Wait a second. Let's just change your appearance a little. There might be death eaters or someone you know there." She said as she took out her wand. She waved it in front of my face, murmuring something before doing the mirror spell and I saw myself. My nose was a bit longer than what it had been, and my lips were happier-looking. I couldn't really explained how they looked happier, but they did. She had also changed my eye color; they were deep turquoise, like the sea behind us. "Is it all right?"

"It's not quite me, but it is handsome." I replied. She nodded, and murmured a spell so she and I could see me like who I really was. "Should you change the way I look too?" She then asked. I shook my head, but asked her to turn around. I had bought a few hair ties and a brush from the clothing store. Carefully, I brushed her brown curls until they were silky, and then fixed them into a high ponytail, with a few curls framing her face. When she turned around, I gasped. "You should wear your hair up more often. You look so different." I said truthfully. She smiled shyly. "How about our names?"

"I am Will Brenton, and you are... Sierra Haxley. No. Emilie Haxley." I said.

"I like that. So, Will, you want to go and book ourselves a room?" She said jokingly. I smiled.

"Guess why I like Emilie?" I asked. She shook her head. "The nickname Mi works with it." I smiled and kissed her gently. "Let's go." I slipped my hand in hers and pulled her along. I knew for a fact that there was a house at the shore near the town that was on sale. But better ask anyway.

We found a small, neat hotel that was near the town square named "Rosa's Breakfast & Inn". As we walked inside, I noted that the whole building was covered with roses, different colors, climbing the wall like vines.

"Buona sera! Would you like a room?" The woman at the counter asked in Italian. From the corner of my eye I saw Hermione look confused. "Si, we are here to maybe buy a house here. We are thinking of looking around tomorrow, so maybe just this night. And my girlfriend doesn't speak italian, so if you can, speak english." I replied fluently. The woman nodded, and asked us to follow her. While we climbed up the stairs, she asked us questions.

"You two are wizards, si?" She asked in english.

"Si." I replied. Hermione nodded too.

"How old are you?"

"We are both 18, almost 19." I said.

"Quite young to be buying your own home, don't you think?" The woman, Rosa, asked.

"Not really." I said. "Where we come from it's actually quite normal."

"Where do you come from?"

"England." Hermione said. I gripped her hand.

"Not much people from England come here. Maybe one in a year or so." The woman said. I sighed in relief. If this village was filled with british people, there was no way they wouldn't have recognized us. "Ah, here we are. Your room." The woman said. She pushed the door open to reveal a gorgeous room. She handed me the key. "You pay tomorrow morning, after breakfast." She said when I asked her about the payment. I thanked her, and then closed the door.

The room was painted white, and the first thing I noticed was the balcony. It was old, and the handrails were black metal. Well, the part of the handrails that weren't covered with red, orange, yellow, pink, peach and white roses. The view was marvelous; the sea glistened golden behind the rooftops. The king-sized bed had beige sheets with a simple rose print, and on the headboard were white seashells, magically attached to it. There were two pale yellow armchairs in the room, as well as a glass table in between them. On the balcony there were two black metal chairs and a matching table. As I walked into the bathroom, I saw light pink walls and a white bathtub with golden lining.

"This room is beautiful." I heard Hermione sigh. "I know." I said. My stomach rumbled. "You wanna go out for dinner?"

"I'll take a quick shower and then we can go." She replied and ran into the bathroom. I chuckled and walked outside to the balcony. The sweet smell of roses and the view just made it seem like a fairytale. I breathed in the salty sea-air. This was a place I had yearned to live in for all my life. I was still standing there, staring at the view, when Hermione came onto the balcony.

"Let's go, I'm dying of hunger." She joked.

"Don't die." I said, taking her hand and walking out of the room. I locked the door and put the key securely into my pocket before heading down the stairs after Hermione.

"Do you know any good restaurants around?" I asked Rosa in Italian. She smiled and directed us to her sister's husband's restaurant that was located at the other side of the square.

We took our seats outside the restaurant when the waiter came and handed us the menus. I helped Hermione with her choices, and finally we had ordered. She had taken lamb chop with some tortellini and roasted asparagus, and was now drinking her glass of water. I had tried to convince her that she should try the wine, but she had kept her ground. I had ordered us a plate of starters and then a good assortment of crab, lobster and that sort for myself.

We had a wonderful dinner; we talked about everything possible, and the food was marvelous. When we walked back to the hotel, I was happy. Happier than I had been for about all my life.

"Hey, 'Mione..." I spoke up once we were in our room. She was sitting on the bed, staring at me.

"Hm?"

"I was just wondering...does the dinner today count as a proper date?"

She thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"Can I kiss you goodnight then?" I asked. She smiled, but didn't decline, so I walked over and kissed her tenderly. "I love you." I whispered in her ear.

"I love me too." She said jokingly. I pouted, which was when she sighed and said: "I love you too." I bet my grin was as wide as my face, I was so happy. I quickly went to the bathroom, took a quick shower and brushed my teeth before changing into my pajamas and walking back into the room to find Hermione lying in the bed, her eyes closed. I carefully crawled onto my side and put out the lights. "Good night." I murmured as I laid down.

"Good night."

* * *

I woke up early in the morning. Hermione was still fast asleep, so I decided to get up and practice a bit of fighting. I did the routine Treom had taught me, first without my knife, and then with it. Soon I was slashing, ducking, jumping and kicking at quite a fast speed.

"Good morning." I leaped and turned around, and sighed in relief when I saw Hermione there, watching me. She was only wearing my t-shirt, which was a bit too big for her.

"Good morning." I said. She smiled and went into the bathroom with the clothes I'd bought yesterday. She didn't really have other clothes. All the time we had traveled, she had worn my clothes, usually sweatpants that were too big for her and oversized t-shirts. When she walked out of the bathroom, I overtook it, taking a warm shower before walking into our room. She was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Now that she was wearing a tank top and not an oversized tee, I saw that she was quite skinny. Guess the sickness had taken it's price. Or the time she'd been blue.

Together we walked downstairs to the dining room, where Rosa had set up a breakfast table. There were only a few other guests; an old man, and a young couple much like us. Only they were probably three years older than us. I knew for a fact that both me and Hermione looked older than our years; some people had thought I was twenty last year. Piling a few pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon onto my plate, I looked around the room for a good table. I walked over to a small table next to a pillar and put my plate there.

"Buongiorno, signor Brenton. Sleep well?" Rosa asked me happily, in italian. "Yes, the room is gorgeous! My girlfriend loves the balcony." I replied with the same happiness. It was so much more fun to speak without the drawl I'd had to have for the past seven years. "I bet she does. Who wouldn't?" Rosa said before hurrying about to another table to greet the young couple. Hermione came soon, and sat opposite me to the table. I noticed there was a newspaper on the table beside us, and reached out to take it. I quickly skimmed through the paper, and was relieved to find nothing about me, Hermione or even the Malfoy Corporation in the paper. Smiling widely, I went on eating my breakfast, and we chatted with Hermione about the house.

"I'll start teaching you italian." I stated when I was sipping my espresso. She had taken a tea, and was mixing it with a spoon.

"Really?" She asked. I saw the excitement in her eyes. I chuckled.

"We will be living in Italy. Of course you need to learn italian." I said matter-of-factly.

"All right then. But... I need a book." She said.

"You can have all the books you want. After we buy the house and we have a secure income." I replied. She took the newspaper and smacked me gently. She then pointed to the title on the magazine.

"What does that say?"

"The government proposes more cuts to the schooling department - teachers outraged." I translated. She then asked me to translate each word on the first page of the paper. When we were done, she nodded and said: "Let's go and buy a house." In italian. I gaped at her for a while. Her pronunciation wasn't perfect, but still.

"Did you just use the words you learned a second ago to form that sentence?" I asked her.

"Si." She smiled.

"You bloody are the brightest witch of our age." I said in awe. She blushed. "I just learn fast."

"You are smart, admit it!" I teased. She chuckled and stood up.

"So..." she paused. "What is 'are we' in italian?" She asked. I told her, and the next moment she said "Are we going to go see the house now?" I stared at her in awe and replied in italian. "How about we speak english for now? I don't want to be outsmarted by a italian rookie." I huffed. She laughed, but agreed.


	11. Villa Lucia

**Hermione's POV**

Rosa had directed us to some guy named Paolo, who apparently owned the house on the shore.

"Buongiorno." Draco said to the man. "Good morning." The man said in perfect english. "Are you here about the house?"

"Yes, could we see it please?" I asked. The man asked us to hop into his car, as it was faster that way. We passed small alleys filled with flowers and small trees, and we even saw the town church; a small, white building with large, colored windows. Soon we were out of the town and a few minutes later the car curved in front of the house. The house was located at the headland; the town was at the base of the bay. It was two stories, and the beach was right at the backyard of it. It was a pretty pale yellow; the roof was orange tile. The windowsills were white, and the fence surrounding the flower garden was painted white as well. Paolo opened the gate and went on his lecture on how he renovated the house with his own hands and that. I was only half-listening. The front door was about one third from the left end of the house; there were stairs made of rock leading up to the door, which was made of dark wood with a row of windows running down the side.

The inside of the house was spacious, unlike what it had seemed from the outside. All the walls were white, beige, or warm yellow. It was only partly furnished; there were many blank spots where I was already yearning to put something. The front door led into a small entrance room, where we left our shoes. There was a brown, wooden cupboard that matched the door and a few hooks for jackets and such. From the alcove we walked into a hallway that had two openings. One, on the right, led to the living room. There was an old fireplace made of tile at the middle of the wall facing to the road, and there were a single, old couch in front of it. The furthest wall was covered with a bookshelf, which was oddly shaped. It was oddly shaped because there was a window right in the middle of it. The shelf was empty...for now. The opposite wall was two-thirds a glass door, that lead outside to the terrace. The sea and the dock, which Paolo said belonged to the house, were only about forty or fifty meters from there.

"This will be a great spot for dining, don't you think?" I said to Draco. He smiled at me, and I could tell he loved the house. "It would be perfect. Unless it rains." He said happily, and followed Paolo inside. I lingered outside for a while before following them. We returned to the hallway, and walked through the opening into the kitchen. It wasn't huge, but it was big enough for the two of us. The dining table was in the living room, right in the corner beside the doorframe. The kitchen itself was quite cosy. The walls were red tile, and the floor was darker wood than the rest of the house. The kitchen appliances were brand new; Paolo explained that there had been an electric shut down in the kitchen one day, and the old appliances had all broken. There were barstools around the kitchen counter, on which was also the stove.

Back in the hallway, Paolo led us towards the end of it, where the staircase was located. The stairs were wooden as well, but the handrail was much newer, polished wood. Upstairs there was a small-ish room with three doors. Paolo led us to the one that was located above the kitchen. It was the master bedroom. There was no furnishing in it, but I liked it that way; we would get to furnish it ourselves. It was quite large, with it's own small bathroom and a walk-in closet. The windows were quite large throughout the house "I love the windows. I have lived all my life in Malfoy Manor, filled with grande and dark furnishing and black marble floors. The windows were always covered with curtains. I always liked the light." Draco whispered to me when Paolo was further away. I smiled at his checked the other two rooms, one of which was a larger bathroom with a tub, and the other was a large room which could be turned into a bedroom or even two if we added a wall.

Finally we found ourselves back at Paolo's house, an italian man, apparently the Paolo's lawyer or something, signing the papers to buy the house.

"The grounds reach from the road all the way to the sea. You have the right to fence it if you want. And sometimes when there is a storm, the beach might move, as well as the dunes. The house won't move or break, and if there is some water, then you can use magical means to fix that." Paolo said as he shook both of our hands. "So, there'll be 16 000 galleons being transferred to your bank account." The lawyer said to Paolo, who nodded. He took out the keys; there were three of them. He handed them to Draco.

"Take good care of Villa Lucia." He said, a smile on his face. We returned his smile, and as we walked out of his office, we felt happy ourselves.

"We should buy food, don't you think?" I said to Draco. "Yeah, we can make lunch at our house and then go shopping. We need a bed and clothes and pillows and..."

"All right, all right, I get it." I laughed. He smiled at me sneakily and hugged me from behind, reaching his hands around my waist and resting his head on my shoulder. His hot breath tickled my neck. "You smell like roses." He stated. "Yes, there was rose-scented soap at the hotel." I said. "We should probably return the key-"

"I already did. I said that if we do come for another night, we'll just get the keys from Rosa." He said and let go of me so we could walk.

"This all seems like a dream, you know. You, me, this place, the house." He said dreamily as we strolled around, looking for a supermarket. We found one around the corner quickly.

"Yeah, it does. I just hope I never wake up from this." I said.

"Amen."

We bought some necessities, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, milk, juice, toast, ham and that sort. We then walked through the town to our house. _Our house_. How preposterous it sounded. If I had told myself about two months ago that I would be raped, try and kill myself, be saved by Malfoy, then travel with him, get bitten by a big beast, almost die, and slowly fall in love with Malfoy and end up buying a house with him, I bet I wouldn't have believed myself. I laughed aloud, and when Draco asked me what I was laughing about, I told him what I had been thinking about. And he laughed as well.

It was about a mile and a half to walk to our house, but after walking over a hundred miles in total in the Forbidden Forest, it felt like nothing. I hadn't realized it then, but I had gotten in better shape while we were walking. The sun was high, and it was very warm in our house when we got back. I glanced at the large clock on the wall. It was one o'clock. I had fixed myself a sandwich while Draco had made a tomato omelette with some rosmarine from our garden.

"So, do you have a specific place where you want to go to buy furniture?" I asked Draco.

"Not really. We could just go to a nearby muggle town and buy ourselves a car."

"You have a license?" I asked him. He smiled. "Yes. And I know you have one."

"How would you know that?"

"You were talking about it loudly with one of your friends back at Hogwarts."

"You sneaky stalker!"

"I was merely just nearby when you happened to say it out loud." He said innocently. I smacked him gently and he laughed.

About three hours later we were driving down the streets of Verdana in our own little Mini. Draco had insisted we buy a blue one; I had almost given him a heart attack when I had suggested buying the bright pink one. I was surprised we had gotten the car so fast, but then again; we weren't in England anymore. Some things worked faster here. I still couldn't get over the fact that we had enough money to just buy a car. Draco seemed used to it, and when I mentioned it, he just shrugged it off.

We were looking for a furniture store, from which we intended to buy a bed.

Walking through the store, looking at different mattresses, we finally chose a soft, not-too-pricy one. We decided to buy a metal frame for it; I had convinced Draco that a romantic style fit the bedroom. He had been suspicious first, but then I had talked him over. The metal frame was black, and there were a few curvy decorations on it. We then took a few pillows and headed for the bedsheets section.

"I'll give you free hands with this one, I have no idea about this stuff." Draco said. I smiled and went through the stacks of different bedsheets. Finally, after looking at probably fifty different bedsheets, I chose light orange sheets and light beige blanket to put on the bed for the day. "Got everything?" Draco asked as we walked towards the check. "Pillows, blanket, bedsheets, covers, mattress, bed frame. And then the rest, the armchairs and the small tables and such will be sent, right? I guess we're good." I said. We stuffed all the things into our small car and drove home, hoping we didn't drop anything on the way.

When we got home, Draco got out the screwdriver and the bed frame. "And now I have to assemble this." he sighed. I giggled and went to the kitchen to make dinner. I got out the pasta and boiled it as I simultaneously cooked the beef and sliced it and made the creamy cheese sauce. I then took out two plates from the cupboard. Paolo had left all the kitchen utensils and plates for us; he said he didn't have room for them anyway in his new apartment in Napoli. I had set up the table on the terrace with candles, and now I took the food there.

"Oy, workman! Come on down to eat!" I yelled upstairs.

"Sure!" I heard Draco call back, and soon he was rushing down the stairs. "Where are we eating? Outside?" He asked. I nodded, and he hugged me quickly before heading outside. I got the water glasses before following him.

I found him there, staring at the table with awe.

"You can cook." He said. I laughed. "Yes, I can cook. Otherwise I would've died of starvation during the summers when my parents were gone for the whole day." I said. As we sat down, I watched Draco. His face was lighted up by the candles; he looked angelic with his blonde hair.

"Is the bed done yet?" I asked casually as we ate.

"Almost. I only need to get the mattress upstairs."

"Use magic."

He smacked his forehead. "Of course! Gosh, you really are smart." He said. I chuckled, almost choking on my food. I quickly took a sip of the water, though my eyes had already watered. I wiped them with a tissue quickly.

"Don't die." Draco warned with a straight face. I laughed again.

We went to sleep an hour later, when we finally managed to get the mattress onto the bed frame and the bedsheets put and that sort. The smell of fruits lingered about the house, and slowly the constant, quiet sound of the sea lolled me to sleep.


	12. Christmas shopping

**Draco's POV**

Our house was a dream. It was perfect. It was light, it was small, it was cosy. It was the opposite of the Manor. The only similarity with it and the Manor was that I was there. But I loved this place. I had hated the Manor.

The next few days were a mix of buying furniture and putting it in place, of painting walls and each other's nose, of swimming in the sea and napping on the beach, buying clothes and eating ice cream. I was beginning to feel very strongly for Hermione. She was amazing in every criterion possible. I had surprised her one day by bringing her home a few italian textbooks; two days later she had already finished the first book and was speaking somewhat basic italian. It seemed that she had the eye for interior furnishing; same of which she said of me when it came to outdoor furnishing.

I was strolling through the streets of Guiliana, the wizard town which we lived close to. Hermione had stayed home; she had actually kicked me out for a while, claiming she had "business" to do. It wasn't until I saw the decorations in the windows that I realized she was preparing me a Christmas gift. Christmas was only in two days, and I needed a present for her. And fast.

"Buongiorno signor. How may I help you?" An old man asked me in italian as I entered a jewelry shop.

"I am just looking." I replied. The man nodded, and I began looking at the jewelry at display. All the necklaces seemed too bold or too much for her, and so did the bracelets. It wasn't till I looked at the rings when I finally decided what I'd do. I knew I wanted to share my life with her. I had already experienced more with her than anyone else, and I knew she felt the same for me. A golden ring, with a two leaves forming a heart with a small sapphire in the middle was perfect. It was eleven galleons(A/N if anyone is wondering, one galleon is approximately 10 dollars), and worth every knut.

"Are you proposing?" the man asked as he took the ring out and showed it to me. I took out the money and paid for it.

"Yes, in fact I am." I said. I was a nervous wreck. What if she declined?

"Well, the best of luck for you then." The man said with a smile. I returned the smile and walked out of the store. I stuffed the small box into my blazer pocket and went to a cafe at the square for a midday coffee.


	13. What do you say?

13. The unlucky number. Let's see if Draco's lucky ;P

* * *

. . . _Christmas Day_ . . .

I had taken her out to the beach for dinner, she was wearing her new dress and I was wearing a dress shirt. The night had been perfect, I hadn't burnt the dinner and she seemed to enjoy herself. We were eating the dessert, talking about the day.

Hermione had given me a book on renovating and gardening, with useful tips that I was sure I would've needed earlier too. I had given her a book, just so she wouldn't be suspicious. We hadn't really gotten other presents, except Rosa stopped by and gave us a self-baked fruit cake and Paolo had sent us a guide on how to harvest a olive tree and an orange tree. It would be in great use, as we had a olive tree and one orange tree in our yard, as well as a lemon tree.

"Today has been incredible. This past month has been incredible." Hermione sighed.

"You have been incredible."

"So have you." She replied. I shifted uneasily. _Now. Ask her now. _

"Hermione, I want to ask you something." I said as I stood up. I saw her brow furrow; I bet she had already guessed what I was going to do. Slowly, I kneeled on one knee on the beach in front of her. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the box. I opened it and looked her in the eyes.

"Will you marry me, Hermione Jean Granger?" I asked. Her eyes glistened in the candlelight. "Yes." She whispered through her tears. I sighed in relief and took the ring, slipping it onto her ring finger. As I stood up, I pulled her up too. We kissed, right there and then. The sun was setting, the wind was blowing just a bit, the sea was gleaming golden. It was perfect. When I pulled away, I gazed into her eyes. Her aura was back. There was the air about her again. She was so happy it oozed from her. I had repaired her. I smiled to myself as I hugged her tight. I_ had repaired the broken._

_Finis. _

_. . ._

Don't worry readers, the story won't end here! :P I'll make a new story about Hermione returning to England, but should I make a story of their marriage and that sort?

Review please, you get to choose whether I make a story or not ; )


	14. Not a new chapter, but an announcement

Hi lovely readers. I'm sorry if I got your hopes up, but I've noticed that not so many of you have come across my sequels to this story. Please do, because I've written it with you all in mind, and they both are dedicated to you. I suppose many of you have read Coming Home, but my latest story "Life's Ups and Downs" is a sequel right after this story, but before Coming home. XP Hope you guys'll read it soon, love you all


End file.
